Russian Deserters Request Political Asylum In France

Six Russian soldiers who sought to escape mobilization for the war in Ukraine have arrived in France after first fleeing to Kazakhstan, according to media reports. The six have begun the process of obtaining political asylum, BBC Russian reported. It appears that this is the first instance when a European Union country agreed to issue entry documents to a group of Russian individuals who fled the war. Previously, human rights activists say there was only one case in which a Russian deserter who fled to Kazakhstan was able to obtain a visa to an EU country. According to Mediazona, since the beginning of the year until August, about 5,200 criminal cases of desertion have been filed with Russian military courts, a figure hugher than for all of last year. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.