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Russian army deserters in Germany: 'No choice but to run'

Nikita Zvezdov, a Russian conscript who fled to Germany after being sent to fight in Ukraine, describes his experience in the Russian military and his struggle for asylum. Despite rejection under the Dublin rule, he received church asylum in Germany, highlighting the challenges faced by Russian deserters.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 19–23, 2026 Published Aug 14

Russian deserter's journey: From conscription to church asylum in Germany

Nikita Zvezdov was just 15 years old when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He was drafted into the Russian military straight after his 18th birthday in April 2024, as reported by Deutsche Welle. His story sheds light on the pressures faced by Russian conscripts and the difficult path to asylum for deserters in Germany.

Drafted, pressured, and sent to fight

Before his conscription, Zvezdov was failed at a vocational school in Krasnoyarsk, an expulsion he believes was deliberate. According to Deutsche Welle, there have been reports—though unverified—of Russian students being flunked to ensure their conscription could proceed.

In May 2024, Zvezdov was assigned to military unit 25573 near Ussuriysk, a unit with a reputation for criminality, harassment, and beatings, as reported by Deutsche Welle. He said officers pressured him and other conscripts to sign longer service contracts. "I promised myself and my relatives that I would not sign a contract for the [conflict]," Zvezdov told Deutsche Welle, adding that he never wanted to fight against Ukraine.

The young conscript described brutal conditions at a training ground: "They sent me to a training ground where they also did whatever they wanted—officers shot many conscripts in their legs, beat them up, and punished them for everything they could and could not do," he recounted. He described punishments like "Do 200 pushups in a gas mask and run 50 laps in a bulletproof vest with 25 to 30 kilos on top."

The psychological toll was severe. Zvezdov said he started having suicidal thoughts and even attempted to jump off a cliff, but was stopped by officers. Following that incident, another officer forced him to sign a service contract.

Escape and asylum in Germany

Zvezdov's experience is not isolated. The Russian military, facing personnel shortages, regularly pressures conscripts to join the fight, according to reports. He was eventually sent to units operating in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

He fled to Armenia and later applied for asylum in Germany. However, Germany rejected his application under the Dublin rule—a regulation that typically requires asylum seekers to apply in the first EU country they enter. The rejection reflects the broader difficulties Russian deserters face in obtaining protection in Germany, as Deutsche Welle reports.

Despite the rejection, Zvezdov received church asylum in Germany, a form of sanctuary provided by religious communities for individuals facing deportation. His case highlights the precarious situation of Russian deserters who refuse to fight.

Key Claims

Nikita Zvezdov was drafted into the Russian military at 18.
Zvezdov was assigned to military unit 25573 near Ussuriysk.
Officers pressured Zvezdov to commit to a longer period of service.
Zvezdov was sent to units operating in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Zvezdov fled to Armenia and later applied for asylum in Germany.
Germany rejected Zvezdov's asylum application due to the Dublin rule.
Zvezdov received church asylum in Germany.
Russian deserters have almost no chance of getting approved for asylum in Germany.
There are hundreds of reports of Russian deserters being sent directly to the front lines and mistreated.
The Russian military has set up a 'torture chamber' in the Petrivka quarry in Donetsk.
A total of 126 people were deported back to Russia in 2025.

How this outlet told it

Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC

Framing: Russian deserter seeks asylum in Germany — objective with a hint of sympathy for Zvezdov

Facts Included:

Nikita Zvezdov was drafted into the Russian military at 18
Zvezdov was assigned to military unit 25573 near Ussuriysk
Officers pressured Zvezdov to commit to a longer period of service
Zvezdov was sent to units operating in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine
Zvezdov fled to Armenia and later applied for asylum in Germany
Germany rejected Zvezdov's asylum application due to the Dublin rule
Zvezdov received church asylum in Germany

Read the source article →

Deutsche Welle as of Jul 19, 2026, 10:16 AM UTC

Framing: Russian deserter seeks asylum in Germany — objective with a hint of sympathy for Zvezdov

Facts Included:

Nikita Zvezdov was drafted into the Russian military at 18
Zvezdov was assigned to military unit 25573 near Ussuriysk
Officers pressured Zvezdov to commit to a longer period of service
Zvezdov was sent to units operating in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine
Zvezdov fled to Armenia and later applied for asylum in Germany
Germany rejected Zvezdov's asylum application due to the Dublin rule
Zvezdov received church asylum in Germany

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimNikita Zvezdov was drafted into the Russian military at 18.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimZvezdov was assigned to military unit 25573 near Ussuriysk.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimOfficers pressured Zvezdov to commit to a longer period of service in the army.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimZvezdov was sent to units operating in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimZvezdov fled to Armenia and later applied for asylum in Germany.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimGermany rejected Zvezdov's asylum application due to the Dublin rule.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimZvezdov received church asylum in Germany.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimRussian deserters have almost no chance of getting approved for asylum in Germany.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimThere are hundreds of reports of Russian deserters being sent directly to the front lines and mistreated.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimThe Russian military has set up a 'torture chamber' in the Petrivka quarry in Donetsk.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimA total of 126 people were deported back to Russia in 2025.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Jul 23, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: Deutsche Welle 11 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14