The Spanish press is drawing attention to the sharp increase in the number of young Russians who have arrived on the Iberian Peninsula in recent years. There is talk of thousands of people of military age. To the local authorities, they explain their appearance in Spain precisely by their reluctance to fight in Ukraine. Moreover, we are not only talking about people who fear being mobilized, but also deserters. But why do they choose Spain and how do they get there? One of the most common routes is the sea route through North Africa - along with illegal migrants from Africa and Asia.
The routes to Spain
The Spanish Refugee Assistance Commission cannot provide accurate current data, but they confirmed to DW that the number of deserters and those unwilling to go to the front is constantly growing. The latest official data is from the fall of 2022, when those who sought asylum because they did not want to fight were about 500 people. In addition - both before and now - many do not want to attract attention and therefore do not apply for refugee status, but simply wait in the hope that they will soon be able to return to Russia.
The routes used by Russians to reach Spain are at least a dozen, according to data from the Refugee Commission. Usually you fly by plane with transfers or travel by bus also with transfers. Recently, there has been an exotic route - sailing from the African coast. The choice depends on the presence or absence of a Schengen visa, as well as on financial capabilities.
Escape from the Moscow region
In one of the suburbs of Madrid we meet Leonid (his name and the names of the rest of our interlocutors have been changed for security reasons). "I lived in the Moscow region. I had my own business. I received a draft, but I didn't want to die at the front for some unknown reason or be crippled. I consulted with friends and my parents. I didn't have time to get a visa to Europe, so I left for Georgia. However, I realized that the war was dragging on and that's why I had to go further - I had to find a country where I could live normally and work."
This is how Leonid thinks about Spain. "Activists I met in Georgia advised me to fly in transit through Spain to Latin America, where a visa is not required, and to ask for asylum at the Madrid airport. However, this seemed unsafe to me - what if they don't accept me and force me to continue the journey? So I decided to take another route - by plane through Turkey to Morocco, and from there - by sea to Spain. It turned out that other Russians had already used this route."
Escape by sea
Leonid says that he contacted a yacht owner who asked him for 2,000 euros. The Moroccan sent a photo of the vessel and assured that his transfer was completely safe - although illegal. Describing the way to Spain, Leonid says that his companions were migrants - Arabs and Asians. They arrived late at night at a small sports port on the Spanish coast, where there was no border guard.
The next day, Leonid headed to Madrid, where he had acquaintances, and a few days later he turned to the police to legalize himself. He explained that he did not want to fight and showed his army draft card. He received a certificate that he was an asylum seeker, with which he was able to find a job in the kitchen of a restaurant. "This job is not alien to me. And in my free time, I learn the language," says Leonid.
His Madrid friend Nikolai also came to Spain to escape the war. He also traveled part of the way by sea, but because he did not have enough money, he first flew to Turkey, from there he reached Greece by boat, and then traveled to Spain by hitchhiking and by bus with Ukrainian refugees. In the meantime, he has settled in Spain - he receives good money at the construction site where he works, and has already brought his wife and daughter to Spain.
"I am tired of lies, blood and criminal orders"
Another young Russian - Peter - prefers to tell us about his experiences over the phone. He deserted from the Ukrainian front and therefore limits his personal contacts - out of fear for his life. He escaped directly from the hospital after being wounded. He had neither documents nor money. "Good people helped me," he says evasively. First he reached Armenia, from there to Montenegro, and finally arrived in Spain.
"I didn't see any Ukrainian fascists in this war", says Peter. "Our commanders, who order cities to be destroyed and knowingly throw their soldiers into the meat grinder to certain death - for more stars on their shoulder straps. I escaped because I was tired of the lies, blood, and criminal orders of the superiors", summarizes the deserter.
According to Madrid lawyer José Luis Guerra, who deals with migrant issues, Russians choose Spain because the country treats them "loyal and humanely." But some of them, especially defectors, fear that sooner or later "the long arm of Moscow" will catch up with them, the lawyer notes. In February 2024, for example, former helicopter pilot Maxim Kuzminov was killed in a resort village in the east of the country. It is an open secret that this case was about revenge by Russian special services for desertion.
Author: Viktor Cheretsky