A Russian contract soldier said that after escaping from Izyum he was not allowed into Russia and was going to be sent to war again

A conscientious objector who went to fight in Ukraine and signed a contract before completing his military service told Mediazona that after retreating from Izyum he decided to return to Russia. He planned to break the contract before the end of the probationary period, but it didn’t work out - Putin announced mobilization.

When the sapper signed a contract, he was promised that he would only be sent to guard the occupied territories. However, in early September, when the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army began, he had to flee from near Izyum and wander through the forests of the Kharkov region for a week. The commander demanded the soldiers return to the front line, and the border guards refused to let them into the territory of the Belgorod region.

As Sergei says, he wanted to return to Russia and break the contract, but he and his colleagues were not allowed into Russian territory for about a week until they agreed to continue fighting in Ukraine. The soldiers lived in tents, food was brought to them by border guards.

After the announcement of mobilization, the military personnel were forbidden to retire, and on September 25, Sergei was again sent to fight in Ukraine, briefly allowing him to enter Russian territory.

In July, it became known that there were at least 17 conscientious objectors in the colony of the self-proclaimed LPR. National Guard members from Khakassia filed lawsuits in the Supreme Court of the republic after being dismissed from service for refusing to go to Ukraine.