Arriving at Roissy airport at the end of August, Pavel Filatiev tore up all his Russian identity papers and chanted: “I love Russia, but Putin is not Russia.” Guest on BFMTV on the occasion of the launch of his book Zov: The man who said no to warthe former Russian soldier spoke about the dysfunctions of Putin’s army, which pushed him to flee his country.
“In the 20 years that our ‘great commander’ Vladimir Putin has controlled the country, there has been a deterioration in many areas, be it in the police, the army, justice, medicine or education,” he denounced.
The former horse breeder had joined the army for a few years and was called up to the front on February 24, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Who said that he had never seen abuses against civilians and prisoners with his own eyes, he admits that, in this context, he will “always” continue to exist.
The click then the flight
It was only after an eye injury that Pavel Filatiev decided to resign from the army and tell his displeasure in a book, downloadable for free in Russian. His request was refused, pushing him into exile.
“The current regime does not allow me to defend my rights enshrined in Russian law,” he said.
During his trip worthy of “a James Bond movie”, the 30-year-old understood then that the country’s leaders, through the Russian media, practiced propaganda and disinformation. “What my government says has made me laugh for a long time. They only talk about NATO and sexual minorities,” he said angrily.
Once in France, Pavel Filatiev began an asylum application procedure in a country where he hopes to find “a second home”.
The ex-soldier still hopes that Russia and Ukraine can one day “turn the page” by ending a war that will never see a winner in any case.
Source: BFM TV
