In Astana, he lives without a SIM card, housing or bank account in his name. Oleg (first name has been changed for security reasons), in his thirties, was born inside the Russian polar circle, “in a city where temperatures drop between −50°C and −60°C in winter”. This ex-Russian soldier has resided in the capital of Kazakhstan since he deserted the army at the end of 2022.
“I come from a poor family, where the army is often the only way to survive. From the start of the war in Ukraine, I was assigned to the hottest combat zones. It was nonsense, he remembers. I tried to resign many times, to no avail. I didn’t understand what this war was for. After six months, I took advantage of a leave to return home, and crossed the border into Kazakhstan in one day. »
Mutual legal assistance agreement with Moscow
Like Oleg, more than fifteen soldiers are living in this Central Asian country to escape the hell of the war in Ukraine, estimates the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights (BIKDH), an NGO independent which does not exclude that these soldiers could, in reality, be more numerous. The former Soviet republic, which saw 400,000 Russians disembark in 2022 after partial mobilization, quickly became a preferred destination for deserters and opponents: in this Russian-speaking country, where the cost of living is affordable, no need for a passport. , which Russian soldiers rarely have, for entry.
But the border crossed with this neighboring state of Russia is no longer a guarantee of security. Kazakhstan is dependent on a mutual legal assistance agreement with Russia, allowing the detention of any person wanted by Moscow who has committed a crime – including army deserters, under article 338 of the Russian penal code. Over the past two years, five arrests have already taken place, forcing them to remain discreet – or even invisible –, to favor clandestine daily jobs and to give up using their bank cards. To date, however, none of them has been extradited by the Kazakh authorities, because “the crime of desertion does not appear in the Kazakh penal code as a reasonable ground for extraditing a person”, says Denis Djivaga, lawyer at BIKDH. Oleg nevertheless remains on his guard. He even says “more tense than usual” recently, since the arrest of Kamil Kasimov on April 23.
“Illegally kidnapped”
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