On February 5, a court in Astana rejected the request for refugee status for Russian serviceman Evgeny Korobov. This was reported by his lawyer, Arthur Alkhastov from the Kazakhstan Bureau for Human Rights, in an interview with the project "That's How It Is".
According to Alkhastov, since the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, similar decisions have been made regarding ten other Russian deserters, and Korobov became the eleventh on this list.
Lieutenant Evgeny Korobov, a graduate of a military educational institution and a career officer, participated in combat operations from the very beginning of the conflict. However, he claims that he did not shoot at people and even shot himself in the leg during one of the missions to leave the front. After being hospitalized at the end of 2022, he moved to Kazakhstan, where he received a temporary residence permit. Since April 2024, he had been in the status of an asylum seeker. During this time, a criminal case was initiated against him in Russia under Article 338 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Desertion"), and he ended up on a federal and then international wanted list. As a result, extending his temporary residence permit in Kazakhstan became impossible.
Korobov applied twice to the Employment and Social Protection Department of Astana for refugee status, but both times he faced refusals. An attempt to appeal this decision in court was also unsuccessful. Arthur Alkhastov announced his intention to file an appeal, emphasizing that his client's refusal to fight is politically motivated and could lead to persecution in Russia.
Once the court's decision comes into effect, Korobov will be required to leave Kazakhstan within 30 days. In the event of deportation, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
