Armenian police have avoided Russian military authorities from seizing a former Russian soldier who left the country after declining to serve in Ukraine, the banished news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europa reported Monday, mentioning confidential human rights activists.Semyon Subbotin, a previous member of Russias Strategic Missile Forces, got away to Armenia in September 2024 after being put on Russias desired list for desertion.
He had been living without legal status in Armenia after a global arrest warrant was released versus him.Last week, Subbotin learned that Russian military authorities had actually arrived in Armenia to by force return him to Russia.
He willingly approached cops in Yerevan for protection.Armenian authorities apprehended him for the obligatory 72-hour duration pending an official extradition request from Moscow, which Russia failed to submit.Russian officials supposedly tried to gather Subbotin straight from the detention center without following official procedures, raising alarms amongst local human rights groups about a potential kidnapping attempt.Armenian police rejected the officials access, and Subbotin was launched into the care of his lawyer after the detention period expired.He remains complimentary in Armenia while awaiting possible formal extradition proceedings.The authorities are acting professionally and their actions are focused on avoiding Subbotins prohibited elimination, human rights activists told Novaya Gazeta Europa.Asmik Novikova, an expert with the Russian human rights group Public Verdict, told the banished Mediazona news website that Russia has 40 days to send an extradition ask for Subbotin.Subbotin is among numerous Russian soldiers who got away to Armenia to avoid being sent to eliminate in Ukraine.In 2023, Armenian courts turned down Russias extradition request for deserter Yuri Trostyansky, who was consequently released.But in a separate case, Russian military authorities in Armenia took and repatriated another deserter, Dmitry Setrakov, prompting condemnationfrom Armenian officials.Tigran Balayan, Armenias ambassador to the European Union, informed The Moscow Times that this transfer violated existing legal agreements in between the countries.