“My heart stopped when I was told to pass an additional check”, confides a Russian who was stuck at the border by the authorities

We will call him Konstantin. On Sunday, this 32-year-old Moscow entrepreneur was about to embark with his wife and children at a Moscow airport when he was arrested at passport control. The police told him that he could not leave Russia. Between the lines, the father of the family understood that he was guided towards a future mobilization in the army to participate in the war in Ukraine.

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“My heart stopped when I was told I had to take an additional check. I was called into an office, asked for my address, asked about my work and I was told to wait…”, he remembers.

“When I returned to the office, they turned on the camera and gave me this notice where it says that I can get all the explanations from my military enlistment office. But you understand that reporting to this office of enlistment is equivalent to me going to war.”

Constantine, Russian national

at franceinfo

While the pro-Russian authorities of the occupied Ukrainian regions announced on Tuesday the victory of the “yes” in favor of an annexation of these territories by Russia, during the “referendums” of annexation organized by Moscow, thousands of men continued to flee the country. How many have left Russia since the announcement of mobilization by Vladimir Putin? Kazakhstan alone announced on Tuesday that 98,000 Russians had crossed its border since September 21. In Georgia, nearly 10,000 arrivals are said to be counted every day. At airports, many are trying to catch planes to Turkey, Armenia, Serbia.

If the Kremlin has not officially closed the country’s borders, travel bans seem to be multiplying. KConstantine, who was eventually sent home, is an example. The Muscovite has no combat experience, has just done his military service, but knows he can be mobilized from one day to the next. He has always been opposed to the power in place and will do everything not to participate in this war. “As far as I’m concerned, I can say that if I ever get caught one way or another, I’ll ask to go to jail, he attests. Qaand you have the choice between death and prison, I think it is better to be in prison. Especially when you don’t support murder, when you don’t support war.”

“For Russian objectors, departures are becoming more and more complicated, plane tickets more and more expensive, crossings at land borders longer and longer.”

Konstantin, Russian national

at franceinfo

Faced with the situation, this father of a family regrets the attitude of certain European countries. “I am an opponent and it is very painful to see that some EU countries deliberately prevent people who do not agree with the war from leaving here. Because every person who is not allowed to entering Europe is potentially a person who will be forced to kill in Ukrainehe regrets.Not all Russians are like those who walk around with flags with the letter Z [emblème des soutiens à l’offensive russe, NDLR]. There are a lot of very decent people who are against it, but have to live with this system.”

Russia says it will not seek the extradition of men who fled the country. But many, like Konstantin, no longer trust their government.