Germany's Asylum Paradox: Deserters in Limbo The German government's decision to deny asylum applications from Russian deserters raises serious questions about its commitment to protecting refugees.
Nikita Zvezdov, a young man who fled his military unit after witnessing the horrors of war, is just one example of those affected by this policy.
Zvezdov's experience is not unique; hundreds of Russian deserters have been sent back to their units and subjected to mistreatment in makeshift prisons and torture chambers.