Oleg, a 24-year-old from Ufa, Russia, believed he was signing up as a security guard at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant for 200,000 rubles ($2,660) monthly. However, at a conscription office in Ryazan, he was allegedly tricked into signing an appendix that made him a drone pilot.

Oleg deserted and fled Russia. Despite a schizophrenia diagnosis barring him from weapons, his complaints were ignored, and he claims officers beat him. “I was told, ‘To hell with you, no one will find out, stop squealing’,” he said. He contemplated suicide and cut his hands.

The group “Idite Lesom” (meaning “get lost”) has helped over 3,000 soldiers desert. Spokesman Ivan Chuvilyaev said Russia’s mobilization system “keeps mutating,” using partial mobilization, prisoner recruitment, and false promises of safe jobs.

Oleg escaped via Belarus to Armenia and now awaits an EU humanitarian visa. He felt fortunate not to be detained at the border.

In Ukraine, the desertion crisis is more severe. Defense Minister Mykhailo Fyodorov reported in January that over 200,000 soldiers (over 20% of active servicemen) have gone AWOL or deserted, and over two million evade the draft. Soldiers cite mistreatment, poor conditions, and slow rotation.

Professor Nikolay Mitrokhin of Bremen University called this a real crisis for Ukraine, unlike Russia. He linked President Zelenskyy to a “clumsy and corrupt conscription system.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com