“This is not your war.” Russian officers on how they managed to survive

New Russian legislation now threatens deserters with up to 15 years in prison. While some are signing their contracts and going to the war, others are willing to go to any length to escape it. Important Stories spoke to three Russian officers who had made their choice and now have to hide.
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🔵 Time codes
00:00 15 years in prison for desertion
00:49 “No worries-there’ll be no war”
01:58 “I don’t trust the military at all”
03:17 “Convoys were just rushing to Kyiv”
04:00 “It will explode with sarcasm that I’m yet another Russian who didn’t shoot”
04:53 Why captured Ukrainians were executed
05:50 “It is their job to submit and follow orders. They get paid for it”
06:20 “It started to occur to me that it is easier to die”
07:49 “Army service is a guaranteed way to achieve at least something in life”
10:39 “We will shoot you if you don’t start to serve”
13:04 “The mobilization was declared. The contracts became permanent. No way to resign”
13:49 Who helps deserters flee Russia and how
16:54 “Yes, I killed somebody. But I was being shot at. I want to live too”
18:21 “There are so many Russians who don’t want to go to war”