French visas are granted to six Russian soldiers who fled Ukraine

Six Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine have been granted temporary visas as they apply for political asylum in France, in what human rights activists describe as the first significant case of a group of deserters being admitted to an EU country.

- Pjotr Sauer

The men arrived in Paris on separate flights over the past few months after initially fleeing from Russia to Kazakhstan in 2022 and 2023, according to an organisation that assists soldiers in fleeing, and accounts from the deserters themselves.

“When I landed in France, it was the first time I could breathe fully. I felt a sense of calmness and freedom... the worst was behind me,” Alexander, a former Russian contract soldier who was sent to Ukraine and deserted during the summer of 2023, told the Guardian in an interview.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have deserted or refused orders to fight, say rights activists and groups that help soldiers flee.

But the west has long grappled with the decision over whether to accept Russian soldiers who have deserted, with questions lingering over whether to treat them as heroes, security risks or war criminals. While the EU and its member states have publicly discussed offering asylum to Russian deserters, no decision has been reached and it has proved difficult for deserters to get asylum.