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How to escape Russia’s army: Soldiers serving in Ukraine seek a way out

Al Jazeera · · 1119 words · By Mansur Mirovalev
Military Desertion Human rights violations War Attrition
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/4/how-to-escape-russias-army-soldiers-serv…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Appeal to Pity 80% confidence
Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

7 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

cancel Disputed 2
info Single Source 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“The Kremlin does not release data on the number of soldiers who have deserted or gone absent without official leave.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results indicate that Russia's courts keep desertion cases quiet and that military commanders are classifying missing soldiers as deserters to mask casualties, confirming that official data on desertions is not released.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertion
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Ae…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Armed_Forces
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Last June, the independent Mediazona publication claimed that almost 21,000 Russian servicemen were convicted for refusing to serve”
DISPUTED
The claim states 'almost 21,000' were convicted, but the Newsweek report citing Mediazona in mid-June states 'More than 10,000' have been prosecuted. There is a significant discrepancy in the numbers provided by the evidence versus the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Operation Spiderweb (Ukrainian: Операція «Павутина», romanized: Operátsija "Pavutýna") was a covert drone attack carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) deep inside Russia on 1 June 2025,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Spiderweb
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pavel Talankin (Russian: Павел Ильич Таланкин; born 11 March 1991) is a Russian teacher and documentary filmmaker who worked as a teacher-organizer and school videographer at Karabash Primary School N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Talankin
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“The United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights said in September that at least 50,000 Russian soldiers, or about one in 10 servicemen fighting in Ukraine, had deserted since 2022.”
VERIFIED
Al Jazeera explicitly reports that the UN special rapporteur on human rights stated in September that at least 50,000 Russian soldiers (about one in 10) had deserted since 2022.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On September 13–17, 2023, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Jong Un visited Russia. This was Kim's first official visit overseas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in North Ko…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_visit_by_Kim_Jong_Un_to_R…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 9 September 2025, about 11:30 p.m. CEST, 19 to 23 unarmed military drones entered Poland's airspace after allegedly being launched from Russia. The incursion triggered a Quick Reaction Alert; the P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Russian_drone_incursion_i…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Russian war crimes are violations of international criminal law including war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide which the official armed and paramilitary forces of Russia have …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_war_crimes
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“At least 3,000, including Oleg, did so with the help of a group aptly named “Idite Lesom”.”
DISPUTED
The claim states 'at least 3,000' soldiers were helped. However, Sky News reports that the group says it has helped 'almost 2,000' Russian soldiers to desert, while another part of the search result mentions supporting over 48,000 (likely including draft evaders, not just deserters). The specific number for deserters contradicts the 3,000 figure.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Get Lost, previously Go by the Forest (Russian: Идите Лесом, romanized: Idite Lesom), is an anti-war charity founded by Grigory Sverdlin in Tbilisi, Georgia shortly after the announcement of a partial…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Lost_(organisation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Grigory Sverdlin (Russian: Григорий Свердлин) is a Russian anti-war activist who, prior to fleeing Russia, was the director of the homeless charity Nochlezhka that operates in Moscow and Saint Petersb…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigory_Sverdlin
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lyubov Lvovna Streicher (3 March 1888 – 31 March 1958) was a Russian composer, teacher and violinist. She was a founding member of the Society for Jewish Folk Music. Streicher was born in Vladikavkaz.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyubov_Streicher
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“In 2022, Moscow began an unpopular “partial” mobilisation”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia (Get Lost organisation entry) confirms the announcement of a partial mobilisation of reservists in Russia on 21 September 2022.
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia didn't act against them while they had pro-Russian governments, it only acted when Ukraine became closer to the West, and that speaks a lot of what are Russia's intentions. So, they are the agg…
https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/1bulgrv/wh…
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 23, 2023 · Russia is a pretty chill game if you take it slow, i've been playing them these days and just by changing things little by little and industrializing i've got the landowners to ~5% powe…
https://www.reddit.com/r/victoria3/comments/15ypplo/strategi…
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web search NEUTRAL — In Russia there are the so-called "Putin's May Decrees of 2018" on increasing the salaries of state workers (teachers, sciencists, etc.) to 200% of the average regional salary. They are not executed f…
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskARussian/comments/1aglnbn/whats_…
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“Defence Minister Mykhailo Fyodorov said in January that more than 200,000 soldiers, or more than 20 percent of active servicemen, have gone AWOL or deserted, and more than two million are evading the draft.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general information about the Ukrainian language and culture; there is no mention of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fyodorov or the statistics regarding AWOL soldiers.
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web search NEUTRAL — Ukrainian (українська мова, ukrainska mova, IPA: [ʊkrɐˈjinʲsʲkɐ ˈmɔwɐ]) is an East Slavic language, spoken primarily in Ukraine. It is the first (native) language of a large majority of Ukrainians. Wr…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_language
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web search NEUTRAL — Ukrainian is an Eastern Slavonic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. In 2016 there were about 30 million speakers of Ukrainian in Ukraine, where it is an official language.
https://www.omniglot.com/writing/ukrainian.htm
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web search NEUTRAL — When asked to think of a Ukrainian food, many people might think of the humble chicken kyiv, however, it was most likely not invented in Ukraine at all. Instead, the national Ukrainian dish...
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/a-brief-introduction…
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“In mid-April, officers of the 14th Special Mechanised Brigade were fired after the publication of photos of emaciated soldiers who had not left their isolated frontline positions near the eastern town of Kupiansk for a year”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence consists of general information about National Police Week and police duties; there is no mention of the 14th Special Mechanised Brigade or the events near Kupiansk.
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web search NEUTRAL — Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and …
https://nleomf.org/memorial/programs/national-police-week-20…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 8, 2026 · Police officers enforce the laws of a community, keep neighborhoods safe, and respond to emergency situations. Whether city, county, or state officers, police perform a wide variety of s…
https://www.allcriminaljusticeschools.com/law-enforcement/la…
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web search NEUTRAL — Call Crime Stop at 602-262-6151 to file a police report or have an officer dispatched. Our contact form is for questions and answers only. We cannot take reports or dispatch officers through the inter…
https://www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/police.ht…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.