Russian soldier escapes from barracks and arrives in Latvia: granted political asylum
A Russian conscript escaped from a military unit in the Leningrad Region and crossed the border into Latvia. There he managed to obtain political asylum. He didn’t want to be sent to the front in the war against Ukraine.
According to RaiNews24 reports, the 22-year-old soldier had been called up for military service in November 2021. Then in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. But the boy, who absolutely did not want to go to fight, abandoned the military unit near Vyborg in which he was staying, fleeing from the window of the barracks.
After escaping, the conscript hid in the forest and the next day he found a car waiting for him. Thanks to the help of some sympathizers, the soldier quickly reached the Latvian border.
Having no documents with him, he climbed over the barbed wire, running into the Latvian border guards, who after a long interrogation granted him political asylum and let him go.
The boy, after having taken safety in Latvia, phoned his mother to tell her everything. Russian soldiers, after learning of the conscript’s disappearance, interrogated the woman who was reportedly suffering from a heart attack. Despite this, the 22-year-old has no intention of returning to the barracks: he is studying languages in Latvia and would like to enroll in university.
