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France 24

World

Marc PERELMAN

Pavel Filatyev, ex-Russian soldier: 'I sense this threat but I don't want to lie'

Ukraine France FRANCE 24 Police Tunisia

Pavel Filatyev fled to France after criticising the Russian army over its invasion of Ukraine. © FRANCE 24

Pavel Filatyev is a former Russian soldier who fought for two months in Ukraine. In an online journal, he denounced the invasion of Ukraine and the pitiful state of the Russian army. Out of fear of reprisals, he fled his country with the help of an NGO. The 34-year-old former paratrooper arrived in France last week via Tunisia. He is now under police protection and plans to seek political asylum. In an interview with FRANCE 24, he recounted his decision to flee, his journey to France and what Russians really think of the war in Ukraine.

>> Russian soldier seeks asylum in France after recounting ‘chaos’ of Ukraine invasion

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