A Dane recruited into the Russian army after being sent to the front filed a lawsuit demanding that his contract be declared invalid. This was reported to TV2 by the foreigner's lawyer, Roman Petrov.
The name of the 33-year-old Danish citizen is unknown. It is not specified which court is considering his claim.
According to the TV channel, the recruited serviceman was a musician in his homeland. He came to Russia in the summer of 2023 due to his sympathies for Vladimir Putin and «disagreement with Western values.» The Dane received a temporary residence permit valid until October 19, 2023.
Last fall, the foreigner applied for an extension of his residence permit, but, as he told his lawyer, the process dragged on. Hoping to obtain Russian citizenship, the Dane signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense. At the same time, he thought that he would be able to choose his own position in the army. Through his lawyer, the man clarified to RBC that he hoped to become a border guard in Siberia or do translations from English.
In January 2024, the foreigner was notified of an extension of his residence permit at his request, but at that time he was already at war in Ukraine. «I didn't understand that the contract only covered the combat zone,» the Dane said through his lawyer.
The man is currently serving near Luhansk in a unit that launches drones. The foreigner complains that his fellow soldiers force him to drink vodka and suspect him of spying for the United States or Denmark. In addition, according to the Dane, Nepalese citizens who ended up in the same unit with him are bullying him.
In the spring, the man demanded that the court declare his contract invalid. According to the lawyer, he and his client justify their release from service by the fact that the Dane does not know Russian.
“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,” Roman Petrov told RBC.
The court of first instance rejected the Dane’s claim, and it is now being considered by a higher court. According to the lawyer, the foreigner intends to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, whose decisions Russia stopped enforcing in the fall of 2022.