A Russian soldier who tried to enter the country illegally through Belarus was detained in Poland.
Detention of a deserter from the Russian army in Poland
According to RMF FM correspondents, the detained Russian soldier is 41 years old. He was in civilian clothes and had no weapon.
Everything points to the fact that he tried to enter our country illegally through Belarus, directly from the Ukrainian front, — writes the publication.
The publication notes that Russian military documents were found in the deserter's possession, including a contract with the army on participation in military operations against Ukraine.
To get to the West, the Russians used the migration channel used by foreigners, mainly from the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.
The 41-year-old deserter is currently being checked by the Polish services. RMF FM writes that the services need to clarify whether he can be considered a migrant, or whether he had to perform some task after leaving Belarus, for example, spying or preparing sabotage.
The Podlaskie Border Service does not comment on the purpose of the deserter. There, they only confirmed that in Poland, during an attempt to cross the border, officers detained a Russian deserter.
It is unknown whether the occupier has applied for international protection in Poland.
Desertion of the Russian military
At the end of April, British intelligence reported that Russia recorded a record number of cases and convictions for desertion of soldiers.
For example, in March 2024, Russian military courts handed down a record number of sentences for desertion — 684 service members of the Russian army.
Since the beginning of "partial" mobilisation in September 2022, the number of cases of desertion is 7,400. The largest number of them — 496 — is in the Moscow region.
