A Danish man came to Russia because of his disagreement with Western values and then signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence. But now he has gone to court, claiming that he did not want to take part in the conflict, does not speak Russian and is being harassed by Nepalis
A Danish citizen signed a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry and "unexpectedly for himself" was sent to a combat zone on a military operation, after which he filed a lawsuit against the military department. This was reported by his lawyer Roman Petrov to the Danish publications Nyheder and TV2. The lawyer told RBC the details of the case and provided documents.
The Dane is 33 years old, he worked as a musician, the lawyer asked RBC not to name him. He came to Russia last summer because he did not agree with the values of Europe and was dissatisfied with the "deteriorating political climate".
He received a temporary residence permit until 19 October. When his legal stay in Russia was coming to an end, he applied for an extension of his residence permit, but the process was delayed. To solve the problem, he turned to the Ministry of Defence, believing that this would allow him to obtain citizenship and stay in the country. In January 2024, the man was notified about the extension of his residence permit, but by then he had been sent to a combat zone.
The Danish man assumed he would be allowed to choose his position and become a border guard in Siberia or an English translator, the man explained through his lawyer.
"I didn't realise that the treaty only covered the war zone," he wrote. The Danish man expressed support for President Vladimir Putin and the Russian army and expressed admiration for "Russian brotherhood" but expressed reluctance to take part in an armed conflict with Ukraine.
"I never joined the Russian army because of a desire to fight or make money. I tried to find a way to stay legally in Russia while my residence permit was being processed," the Dane explained.
The lawyer and his client justify their request for exemption from service by the rules of recruitment to the contract army: new recruits must be proficient in the Russian language. "A person who takes up arms and becomes a soldier in the Russian army must, of course, be able to fully understand the orders that are given to him," his lawyer explained the provisions of Russian laws. He reminded that since his client can only communicate in English and Danish, this contradicts the Federal Law "On Military Duty and Military Service".
The lawyer stressed that his client did not fully understand what document he was signing, and promised to bring the case to the International Court of Human Rights (probably referring to the European Court of Human Rights - ECHR, its decisions Russia stopped executing at the end of 2022. - RBC).
But the military court rejected these arguments, and now the suit is being considered on appeal in another military court. RBC has familiarised itself with the court's decisions.
The contract stated that it was for one year. The man thought he would return in October 2024, but only this summer he learned that he could not terminate his contract during mobilisation.
He was assigned to a unit specialising in drone launches. The Dane said he was first sent to Rostov-on-Don and then to Luhansk in December. He complained that he was forced to drink vodka, had his phone taken away, was suspected of spying for the US and working for Denmark. The man said he was training with Nepalis, but they didn't like him and ignored him or spat in his direction. One of his co-workers, a former boxer, beat him up, leaving bruises around his eyes and his nose bleeding, Danish said. He admitted he refused to go to hospital at the commander's suggestion.
The Danish Defence Ministry told reporters that it "has been informed of the case and currently has no further information."
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