INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In November 2023, Alexei Zhilyaev made a fateful decision
Petersburg suburb enlisted as a medic in the Russian army, believing he could save lives on the battlefield.Less than a year later,
disillusioned and haunted by the futility of his work, Zhilyaev deserted from the ranks
He now lives in France, where he is waiting for political asylum.His story sheds light on the horrors faced by both soldiers and civilians
20, 2023, while meeting a friend at St
Trained as a medic in his youth, he felt compelled to act.Within hours, he signed a contract and was sent to a training camp in Pogonovo
People who stayed worked in markets, garages and brothels
approached us during a mortar barrage
If Russian troops advance, Ukrainians retreat to the prepared positions with all eyes and guns on the seemingly lost position and bombard
was more of a punishment than a standard duty
The men that made up these storm brigades ranged from men being punished for not shaving to the penal ones, where the commanders would send
physical labor, abused both physically and psychologically
the occupied territories are Russian, no one is protected by any law here
from a recon group was captured by the 283rd platoon, his comrades KIA
At one point, a duty officer suddenly called us to a checkpoint
There was a girl lying on the ground with her four-wheeler
watchman who did it to beat him, but the command was already there
Once, I recognized a name on a casualty report
The life cycle of a Russian soldier inevitably ends in an assault where one has to kill or be killed
Despite his injuries and the risk of infection from the dead bodies, he managed to perform first aid on himself and get evacuated to a
After a short stay at home in St
Petersburg, he flew to Belarus, where he contacted Idite Lesom
The group helped him make his way to France, where he requested asylum upon arrival
Then, you stop feeling anything
I saved lives, a lot of them
realize there is nothing right with this war
