Kathrine Frich
Across modern conflicts, many soldiers have looked for ways to leave the battlefield.
When fear, disillusionment or moral doubt outweigh their willingness to fight, some resort to official channels. Others choose far more drastic measures.
Their accounts often surface only long after the moment has passed.
A soldier speaks out
A documentary released by the French German broadcaster ARTE features an interview with former Russian senior lieutenant Yevgeny Korobov.
This is his first full account of his time in the early phase of the invasion of Ukraine and the circumstances that led him to desert.
Korobov, from Krasnoyarsk, described a military career that began with optimism but quickly dimmed.
He told journalist Maria Borzunova: “People enlist with these noble ideas about service, but what they get instead is idiocy, total incompetence, and people treating you like garbage.”
He said his unit was deployed near the Ukrainian border just before the February 2022 assault.
A commander assured them that fighting was unlikely. Korobov remembered him saying:
“Yes, there’s some tension, but we’re just flexing our muscles. By March 8, you’ll already be home.”
Propaganda and a staged hero
During the push toward Kyiv, Korobov escorted equipment convoys and scouted routes.
After a chaotic ambush involving multiple Russian units, a senior officer embellished events for state media. Korobov told Borzunova:
“His motives were noble. Did it backfire? Probably.”
His mother later saw reports claiming his unit had destroyed several Ukrainian targets.
He was nominated for an award and appeared on Andrey Malakhov’s show. Korobov explained: “It was an order.”
By then he had already been injured, although his commanders did not know the wound was self inflicted.
The breaking point
He said the injury happened during Russia’s withdrawal from Kyiv.
Ordered to retrieve a drone near Ukrainian positions, he tried to avoid the mission.
When he was sent again, he described what followed:
“When we got close to the Ukrainian lines, I drew my weapon and fired at my own men. I hit one, missed another, and then shot myself in the leg. That was a way to save them and myself.”
Asked whether his soldiers expected this, he replied:
“They’ll thank me later. […] People mess themselves up out there all the time. I saw my chance. There was no way out. It’s scary, it hurts, but whatever.”
Escape and reflection
Korobov told officials the injury came from enemy fire. After treatment, he sought ways to avoid redeployment, including forged documents.
He fled to Kazakhstan in January 2023 and now lives in Astana, hoping for refugee status with support from activist Artur Alkhasov.
Alkhasov said: “By helping a Russian deserter, you help end the war. Putin’s not the one pulling the trigger somebody else is.”
Korobov admits he killed Ukrainian soldiers but says he acted to survive.
“War leads people to do terrible things, and those responsible deserve punishment,” he said. He added that those misled or unaware should have a chance to leave the front.
Korobov now hosts other deserters.
One of them, Nikita, described his turmoil after fleeing Russia. “My head’s a mess,” he told Borzunova.
“Why the hell did I go through it if nobody needs me, if I’m useless, with no future, no documents, nothing? What was the point of any of it?”
Sources: Meduza, ARTE.
