INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In October 2022, Georgy, a 44-year-old daddy of 3 from the Moscow suburb of Lyubertsy, was set in motion and sent to fight in Ukraine
despite extreme health concerns and his strong opposition to war and violence.After 2 failed escape efforts and suffering 2 heart attacks,
he finally handled to desert in May 2024
Now in Europe with his family, Georgy is looking for political asylum.One chapter of his ordeal stands out as especially painful: his time
in secret detention centers where defectors were held in harsh conditions.President Vladimir Putin has actually denied the presence of
special detention camps for military deserters
Almost 16,000 soldiers have actually been charged with criminal rejection to serve since the major intrusion of Ukraine, according to
independent media.Georgys story was validated by the Farewell to Arms group and the InTransit crisis group
His last name has been withheld for safety reasons.You came here to dieGeorgy, a civil engineer by training, never imagined he would be
Identified years previously with high blood pressure and a heart disease, he had actually been considered just partially suitable for
Ever since, his nearsightedness had aggravated and he had broken among his feet.When he was summoned to the military workplace in September
2022 to clarify his records, he believed it was just a regular update.I left early that morning thinking Id show my passport and military
ID, validate some information and head to work, he remembered
When I got here, I saw 2 lines: one for individuals like me and another for volunteers
Strangely enough, most of the volunteers were turned away, while individuals like me they needed us.Within minutes, Georgy was handed a
No medical exam was conducted
When he objected, officials informed him the health screening would happen later at his assigned system
It never did.Even his company a major building professional for the Moscow city government was not able to help
Regardless of initial pledges to protect him a non-combat function, he was categorized as a rifleman and sent to a training camp.The
training was a joke, Georgy stated
We fired a couple of shots from rusted rifles, then invested the remainder of the time roaming around
Nobody taught us anything.A mobilized Russian resident is seen on a bus.Yegor Aleyev/ TASSIn November 2022, he was assigned to the 1855th
Battalion and sent out to Ukraine
Officers assured the troops that they belonged to an elite Moscow unit and would not be sent out into direct combat.They told us, Moscow
It was all lies, Georgy said.His impressions of Ukraine were grim.It was complete chaos like wed been tossed back in time to the German army
progressing Moscow in 1941, just with different uniforms
Late fall, rain, mud instead of roadways, destroyed villages a land damaged by war, he recalled.He is still haunted by a speech provided to
his system by the routine leader, Alexander Zavadsky.You came here to die, Georgy priced quote Zavadsky as saying
Wish to go home? Leave in a body bag.Not long after, Zavadsky was granted the Hero of Russia medal by Putin.After weeks of sleeping in the
forest without shelter or products, Georgy knew he had to leave
Taking advantage of the chaos at the front, he rode on a military truck to the town of Troitske.When they asked me for a password at
checkpoints, Id just shrug and theyd wave me through
The majority of the guards were recently activated too
They didnt know what they were doing, he said.We have our own Gestapo hereWhen he attempted to cross back into Russia, Georgy and a group of
fellow deserters were ambushed
A patrol helicopter opened fire, killing 2 of the males
The survivors were captured and handed over to the military cops, who alerted them to forget what they d witnessed.I thought they were
taking me to Zaitsevo, which had become infamous for holding defectors
However instead, we ended up in a basement in Rozsypne, Georgy recalled.Rozsypne a repurposed Ukrainian border post was an unofficial jail
used to detain Russian soldiers attempting to flee.It was stunning, he said
The floor was sandy, the walls were bloodstained and we slept on wooden cots
There were two areas: one for re-education thats where I was and another for the undesirables
We had to clean up the blood because section
It was everywhere, even on the ceiling.Mobilized reservists of the Russian Army go through battle training.Donat Sorokin/ TASSPrisoners were
fed twice a day hardly enough to make it through and taken to the toilet just two times daily
Those who declined to return to the front were beaten and tortured.They utilized electric shocks, punched us in the gut simply enough to
hurt but leave no swellings
The undesirables were killed outright
We could hear their screams through the walls, Georgy said.The stress and abuse took a toll
Georgy suffered a cardiovascular disease but endured thanks to a considerate regional medical professional, himself an ex-defector, who
prescribed bed rest and medication.Again, it was like a time machine
People were abused, beaten, tortured there
It was shocking to see this kind of thing in the 21st century, he said
I am from an older generation
We were raised on the concept that during World War II, we were withstanding evil fascists
It turns out we have this evil, too, and its in the system
The people who tortured us were provided an order and taught to perform it
While propaganda claims that there are fascists in Ukraine, we have our own variation of the German Gestapo here.Eventually, after he agreed
to his superiors needs to repent for deserting, he was sent to combat near the Russian-occupied city of Svatove as part of the notorious
Storm Z squad.A neighboring explosion hurt him once again breaking his leg, giving him a concussion and activating another heart
attack.Russian military on the frontline in Ukraine.Stanislav Krasilnikov/ TASSHe was briefly sent out home to recover
But knowing that going to a military healthcare facility would indicate being returned to the front, Georgy vanished, hiding for almost a
year in a near-abandoned village in the Tula region.But in December 2024, when he made an unusual trip to visit his household in Moscow, he
was ambushed by three plainclothes officers
Within hours, he was on a military transportation to Russias Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.Inside Kaliningrads secret prisonIn Kaliningrad,
he was kept in a military detention facility that was stated to have been a German SS barracks throughout World War II.This facility was
more organized than the makeshift detention centers Georgy had formerly experienced
Prisoners were restricted to barracks under stringent security and escorted to meals.The just difference was we were on the second floor and
got 3 meals a day rather of 2, he said
And now the abuse was mental, not physical.Prisoners were given a grim option: prison or go back to war
A lot of those who picked prison, believing it would ensure their safety, wound up redeployed anyway
When Georgy was told that he was set to be flown back to the front line, he was saved by a bureaucratic accident a district attorney stopped
working to finish his paperwork on time.His long-requested medical evaluation was finally approved, but only after he accepted elect Putin
in the March 2024 presidential election and send an image of his ballot.But the district attorneys assistant asked physicians to state
Georgy suitable for service anyhow
The only one who refused was a cardiologist, who sent him to a hospital
However even that did not help.In the health center, they magically updated me from partially fit to fit with small limitations
Obviously, the German walls have healing powers, Georgy joked.Despite the prison-like conditions, inmates could still get their hands on
alcohol and drugs by paying allurements
Because Georgy did not take part, he was labeled well-behaved and rewarded with fresh air: being bought to assist construct a villa for the
regimental leader without pay.There was no guard escort, just a major viewing us
Some ex-convicts among the prisoners taught me escape techniques and provided me civilian clothing
After a week, I climbed the fence, called a taxi to the airport and flew to St
Petersburg.At the consultation of Idite Lesom (Get Lost), a group assisting Russian military deserters, Georgy flew to Uzbekistan via
After a not successful attempt to request asylum in Spain, he made his method to Georgia.When the authorities recognized he had actually
fled, they turned their attention to his spouse, Oksana, who remained in Lyubertsy with their children.The investigators started calling at
the end of June, Oksana stated
They told me his health didnt matter, that he was done, and the only escape was to give up
I stated, Your message is noted.Law enforcement called their oldest daughter, who had simply turned 18, and threatened to visit their more
youthful childrens school
In September, they robbed their home with a search warrant.They took all our devices, Oksana stated
When they robbed my senior parents home too, I broke down
When they came with a warrant once again on Orthodox Christmas Eve, we decided to leave.Oksana left Russia in January and reunited with her
husband in Europe, where he pursued Georgias controversial November 2024 election raised worries of persecution
They are now awaiting a choice on their asylum application.For the very first time in over 2 years, Georgy said his household lastly feels
safe in spite of the uncertainty that lies ahead.The administration is tough, but the people here are calm, inviting and understanding
Leaving was hard, and now our focus is on raising our kids to be Europeans, he said.
