Thousands of Russian soldiers are fleeing the war in Ukraine but have nowhere to go

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) — If the choice was death or a bullet to the leg, Yevgeny would take the bullet. A decorated hero of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Yevgeny told his friend and fellow soldier to please aim carefully and avoid bone. The tourniquets were ready.

The pain that followed was the price Yevgeny paid for a new chance at life. Like thousands of other Russian soldiers, he deserted.

“I joke that I gave birth to myself,” he said, declining to give his full name for fear of retribution. “When a woman gives birth to a child, she experiences very intense pain and gives new life. I gave myself life after going through very intense pain.”

Yevgeny made it out of the trenches. But the new life he found is not what he had hoped for.

The Associated Press spoke with five officers and one soldier who deserted the Russian military. All have criminal cases against them in Russia, where they face 10 years or more in prison. Each is waiting for a welcome from the West that has never arrived. Instead, all but one live in hiding.

For Western nations grappling with Russia’s vast and growing diaspora, Russian soldiers present particular concern: Are they spies? War criminals? Or heroes?

“I did the right thing,” said another deserter who goes by the nickname Sparrow, who is living in hiding in Kazakhstan while he waits for his asylum applications to be processed. After being forcibly conscripted, he ran away from his barracks because he didn't want to kill anyone. “I’d rather sit here and suffer and look for something than go there and kill a human being because of some unclear war, which is 100 percent Russia’s fault. I don’t regret it.”

Asylum claims from Russian citizens have surged since the full-scale invasion, but few are winning protection. Policymakers remain divided over whether to consider Russians in exile as potential assets or risks to national security.

Andrius Kubilius, a former prime minister of Lithuania now serving in the European Parliament, argues that cultivating Russians who oppose Vladimir Putin is in the strategic self-interest of the West. Fewer Russian soldiers at the front, he added, means a weaker army.

“Not to believe in Russian democracy is a mistake,” Kubilius said. “To say that all Russians are guilty is a mistake.”

Independent Russian media outlet Mediazona has documented more than 7,300 cases in Russian courts against AWOL soldiers since September 2022; cases of desertion, the harshest charge, leapt sixfold last year.

Record numbers of people seeking to desert — more than 500 in the first two months of this year — are contacting Idite Lesom, or “Get Lost,” a group run by Russian activists in the Republic of Georgia. Last spring, just 3% of requests for help came from soldiers seeking to leave; in January, more than a third did, according to the group’s head, Grigory Sverdlin.

Overall, Sverdlin’s group says it has supported more than 26,000 Russians seeking to avoid military service and helped more than 520 active-duty soldiers and officers flee — a drop in the bucket compared with Russia’s overall troop strength, but an indicator of morale in a country that has made it a crime to oppose the war.

“Obviously, Russian propaganda is trying to sell us a story that all Russia supports Putin and his war,” Sverdlin said. "But that’s not true.”

The question now is, where can they go?

Farhad Ziganshin, an officer who deserted shortly after Putin's September 2022 mobilization decree, was detained in Kazakhstan while trying to board a flight to Armenia because local authorities found his name on a Russian wanted list.

“It’s not safe to stay in Kazakhstan,” Ziganshin said. “I just try to lead a normal life, without violating the laws of Kazakhstan, without being too visible, without appearing anywhere. We have a proverb: Be quieter than water and lower than grass.”

He's still waiting on his asylum applications.

German officials have said that Russians fleeing military service can seek protection, and a French court last summer ruled that Russians who refuse to fight can claim refugee status. In practice, however, it’s proven difficult for deserters, most of whom have passports that only allow travel within a handful of former Soviet states, to get asylum, lawyers, activists and deserters say.

Fewer than 300 Russians got refugee status in the U.S. in fiscal year 2022. And less than 10% of the 5,246 people whose applications were processed last year got some sort of protection from German authorities.

But Russians continue to flee. Customs and Border Patrol officials encountered more than 57,000 Russians at U.S. borders in fiscal year 2023, up from around 13,000 in fiscal year 2021. Affirmative asylum requests nearly quadrupled, to almost 9,000, in the year ending September 2022, the latest data available.

In France, asylum requests rose more than 50% between 2022 and 2023, to a total of around 3,400 people, according to the French office that handles the requests. And last year, Germany got 7,663 first-time asylum applications from Russian citizens, up from 2,851 in 2022, Germany’s Interior Ministry told AP in an email. None of the data specifies how many were soldiers.

Another Russian officer, nicknamed Sportsmaster, made a video diary of his escape. As he was about to leave Russia, he did what he could to make a grand gesture to demonstrate his opposition to the war.

“They wanted to force me to go fight against the free people of Ukraine,” he said to his camera. “Putin wanted me to be in a bag, but it’s his uniform that will be in a bag.”

He shoved his military uniforms in two black trash bags and threw them in a dumpster.

“The worst thing that could have happened has happened,” he said after crossing out of Russia with the remnants of his former life stuffed in one small backpack. “Now only good things are coming.”

Sportsmaster is an optimist. In fact, deserters have been seized by Russian forces in Armenia, deported from Kazakhstan and turned up dead, riddled with bullets, in Spain.

“There is no mechanism for Russians who do not want to fight, deserters, to get to a safe place,” Yevgeny said. He urges Western policymakers to reconsider. “After all, it’s much cheaper economically to allow a person into your country — a healthy young man who can work — than to supply Ukraine with weapons.”

AP journalists Geir Moulson in Berlin, Lori Hinnant in Paris and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.

In a joint production, The Associated Press and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting broadcast the story of an underground network of Russian anti-war activists helping soldiers abandon Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

A Russian officer who goes by the nickname Sportsmaster speaks with reporters at his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. He faces criminal charges in Russia for refusing to go to war in Ukraine. "I immediately decided that I would not support it in any way, not even lift my little finger to support what had begun," he said. "I understood that this was a point of no return that would change the lives of the entire country, including mine." (AP Photo)

Farhad Ziganshin, a Russian officer who deserted in 2022, sits at a table after lunch at his temporary apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. "I realized that I didn't want to serve in this kind of Russian army that destroys cities, kills civilians, and forcibly appropriates foreign land and territory," he said. (AP Photo)

A Russian soldier who goes by the nickname Sparrow sits at his kitchen table in his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. After being forcibly conscripted, he ran away from his barracks because he didn't want to kill anyone. "I don't want anything in life. I have no interest in my own affairs," he said. "I just sit all day on the Internet, on YouTube, and read news, news, news of what's going on in Ukraine, and that's it." (AP Photo)

A Russian soldier in Astana, Kazakhstan who goes by the nickname Sparrow sketches the route he took to escape his military barracks in Russia in 2022, at his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. After being forcibly conscripted, he deserted because he didn't want to kill anyone. "I did the right thing," he said. "I'd rather sit here and suffer and look for something than go there and kill a human being because of some unclear war, which is 100 percent Russia's fault." (AP Photo)

A Russian soldier who goes by the nickname Sparrow prepares tea at his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. After being forcibly conscripted, he ran away from his barracks because he didn't want to kill anyone. Now he faces criminal charges in Russia. "I don't want anything in life. I have no interest in my own affairs," he said. "I just sit all day on the Internet, on YouTube, and read news, news, news of what's going on in Ukraine, and that's it." (AP Photo)

A Russian soldier who goes by the nickname Sparrow speaks with reporters at his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. After being forcibly conscripted, he ran away from his barracks because he didn't want to kill anyone. Now he faces criminal charges in Russia. "I did the right thing," he said. "I'd rather sit here and suffer and look for something than go there and kill a human being because of some unclear war, which is 100 percent Russia's fault." (AP Photo)

A Russian officer who goes by the nickname Sportsmaster speaks during an interview at his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. He faces criminal charges in Russia for refusing to go to war in Ukraine. "I immediately decided that I would not support it in any way, not even lift my little finger to support what had begun," he said. "I understood that this was a point of no return that would change the lives of the entire country, including mine." (AP Photo)

Farhad Ziganshin, a Russian officer who deserted in 2022, takes a walk after work in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. He dreams of starting a family but can't afford to take a woman out to the movies. "I can't fall in love with someone and have someone fall in love with me," he said. "So I just walk around and sing songs." (AP Photo)

Farhad Ziganshin, a Russian officer who deserted in 2022, speaks during an interview in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. He was detained for three days by Kazakh authorities when he tried to board a flight to Armenia. "It's not safe to stay in Kazakhstan," he said. (AP Photo)

Farhad Ziganshin, a Russian officer who deserted in 2022, stands at the door of his shared room in a temporary apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. "Here I am living sleeping on coats, eating I don't know what. And without any money in my pocket. It's very depressing," he said. (AP Photo)

A Russian officer who goes by Yevgeny speaks during an interview at his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. He had a friend shoot him in the leg so he could get off the frontline in Ukraine. "There is no mechanism for Russians who do not want to fight, deserters, to get to a safe place," he said. (AP Photo)

Farhad Ziganshin, a Russian officer who deserted in 2022, pauses during an interview in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. He was detained for three days by Kazakh authorities when he tried to board a flight to Armenia. "It's not safe to stay in Kazakhstan," he said. (AP Photo)

This late 2023 photo shows downtown Astana, Kazakhstan, where some Russian soldiers who deserted the war in Ukraine live in hiding while they apply for asylum. Overall asylum claims from Russian citizens to the U.S., France and Germany have surged since Russia's full-scale invasion, but few are winning protection. Policymakers remain divided over whether to consider Russians in exile as potential assets or risks to national security. (AP Photo)

Thousands of Russian soldiers are fleeing the war in Ukraine but have nowhere to go

A Russian officer who goes by Yevgeny speaks during an interview at his apartment in Astana, Kazakhstan, in late 2023. He had a friend shoot him in the leg so he could get out off the frontline in Ukraine. "Many of my friends have died. And these were really good guys who didn't want to fight," he said. "But there was no way out for them." (AP Photo)

Thousands of Russian soldiers are fleeing the war in Ukraine but have nowhere to go

Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy. The story — and the vilification she received on social media — has some wondering whether she's still a viable potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Experts who work with hunting dogs like Noem’s said she should have trained — not killed — the pup, or found other options if the dog was out of control.

Noem has tried to reframe the story from two decades ago as an example of her willingness to make tough decisions. She wrote on social media that the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket had shown aggressive behavior by biting.

“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy,” she said on X. “But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”

Still, Democrats and even some conservatives have been critical.

“This story is not landing. It is not a facet of rural life or ranching to shoot dogs,” conservative commentator Tomi Lahrenco posted online.

Several posters described Noem as Cruella de Vil, the villain from the Disney classic “101 Dalmatians.” A meme features a series of dogs offering looks of horror.

“I’m not sure which thing she did was stupider: The fact that she murdered the dog, or the fact that she was stupid enough to publish it in a book,” said Joan Payton, of the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America. The club itself described the breed as “high-energy,” and said Noem was too impatient and her use of a shock collar for training was botched.

But South Dakota Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba considered the disclosure more calculated than stupid. He said the story has circulated for years among lawmakers that Noem killed a dog in a “fit of anger” and that there were witnesses. He speculated that it was coming out now because Noem is being vetted as a candidate for vice president.

“She knew that this was a political vulnerability, and she needed to put it out there, before it came up in some other venue," he said. “Why else would she write about it?”

In her soon-to-be-released book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” of which The Guardian obtained a pre-release copy, Noem writes that she took Cricket on a bird hunting trip with older dogs in hopes of calming down the wild puppy. Instead, Cricket chased the pheasants, attacked a family's chickens during a stop on the way home and then “whipped around to bite me," she wrote.

Noem's spokesperson didn't immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about whether the dog actually bit her or just tried to do so, or whether Noem had to seek medical treatment. The book's publisher declined to provide AP an advance copy of the book.

Afterward, Noem wrote, she led Cricket to a gravel pit and killed her. She said she also shot a goat that the family owned, saying it was mean and liked to chase her kids.

The response to the story was swift: “Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit. I’ll start,” Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on X. The post included a photo of him feeding ice cream off a spoon to his Labrador mix named Scout.

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign added a photo of the president strolling on the White House lawn with one of his three German Shepherds. Two of Biden's dogs, Major and Commander, were removed following aggressive behavior, including toward White House and Secret Service personnel. The oldest, Champ, died.

Democrat Hillary Clinton reposted a 2021 comment in which she warned, “Don’t vote for anyone you wouldn’t trust with your dog.” She added Monday, “Still true.”

Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles said on his titular podcast that while Noem could have handled the situation differently, “there is nothing wrong with a human being humanely killing an animal.” He later added: “Fifty years ago, this political story would not have made anyone in most of America bat an eyelash. And the fact that it does today tells you something, not about the changing morality of putting down a farm animal, but about the changing politics of America.”

He later said that the story is “extremely stupid and insignificant” because Noem doesn’t have a chance of being selected as Trump’s running mate.

Payton, who is a delegate to the American Kennel Club and lives in Bakersfield, California, said the situation was a mess from beginning to end.

“That was a puppy that had no experience, obviously no training,” she said. “If you know a minuscule amount about a bird dog, you don’t take a 14 month old out with trained adult dogs and expect them to perform. That’s not how it works.”

The club itself said puppies learn best by hunting one-to-one with their owners, not with other dogs.

When problems arose she should have called the breeder, Payton said, or contacted rescue organizations that find new homes for the breed.

Among those groups is the National German Wirehaired Pointer Rescue, which called on Noem in a Facebook post to take accountability for her “horrific decision” and to educate the public that there are more humane solutions.

“Sporting breeds are bred with bird/hunting instincts but it takes training and effort to have a working field dog,” the group's Board of Directors wrote in the post.

Payton described Cricket as nothing more than “a baby,” saying the breed isn't physically mature until it is 2 years old and not fully trained it's 3- to 5-years old.

“This was a person that I had thought was a pretty good lady up until now," she said. "She was somebody that I would have voted for. But I think she may have shot herself in the foot.”

Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog

FILE - South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem attends an event Jan. 10, 2024, at the state Capitol in Pierre, S.D. The Guardian has obtained a copy of Noem's soon-to-be released book, where she writes about killing an unruly dog, and a smelly goat, too. She writes, according to the Guardian, that the tale was included to show her willingness to do anything "difficult, messy and ugly." (AP Photo/Jack Dura, File)

Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog