“The first case. France issued visas to six Russian deserters who fought against Ukraine — The Guardian October 16, 11:13 Share: Russian Army (Photo: REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak) Six Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine were granted temporary visas to France, reports The Guardian. Human rights activists call this the first significant case of a group of defectors being allowed into a European Union country. It is noted that the men arrived in Paris on separate flights during”, — write on: ua.news
Russian Army (Photo: REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak)
Six Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine received temporary visas to France, The Guardian reports.
Human rights activists call it the first significant case when a group of defectors was allowed into a European Union country.
The men are said to have arrived in Paris on separate flights over the past few months after initially fleeing Russia to Kazakhstan in 2022 and 2023.
“When I landed in France, I was able to breathe fully for the first time. I felt peace and freedom… the worst was behind me,” said Oleksandr, a former Russian soldier who was sent to Ukraine and deserted in the summer of 2023, in an interview with The Guardian.
The publication noted that the EU countries publicly discussed the possibility of providing asylum to Russian deserters, but no decision was made.
“This is the first time that an EU country has let in a group of deserters who did not have any travel documents or passports,” says Ivan Chuvilyaev, a representative of the Go By The Forest group, which helps Russian occupiers to defect.
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He believes that France’s willingness to accept deserters can set a precedent and send a powerful signal to other Western countries. According to him, the Paris decision is the result of extensive cooperation between the French authorities and a group of human rights organizations.
Chuvilyaev claims that the six Russian defectors were vetted over several months for their “strong, consistent anti-war stance” before being allowed into France.
“We understand that there is concern in the West that some may not be who they say they are,” he added.
According to The Guardian, among those who received temporary visas were men who fought against Ukraine, as well as conscripts and officers who avoided being sent to the front.
Chuvilyaev added that their arrival in France could be an incentive for other Russians to desert the army.
On October 11, the Russian BBC service wrote that the EU authorities for the first time issued visas to a whole group of Russian defectors who had already applied for asylum in France.
In July 2023, the National Court of France on the right to asylum (CNDA) issued a resolution confirming the right of Russian deserters and evaders to receive asylum.