Mystery Surrounds Russian Deserter's Return: Deportation or Voluntary Departure?

Lithuanian border authorities and the Russian human rights outlet Slovo Zaschchite offer opposing versions of how a Russian man, reported to be a deserter, ended up back in his home country. The man illegally crossed the border from Russia last December, was detained, and convicted for unlawful border crossing. He was sentenced to four months and twenty days in prison, a term partly served in pre-trial detention, meaning he spent roughly one month in custody. Upon release in May, he was transferred to a foreigners' registration center, and a court ordered his detention there until mid-August while his asylum application was processed. On June 1, according to border guard spokesman Giedrius Mišutis, the man voluntarily submitted a written request to withdraw his asylum claim and expressed a wish to return home. The Migration Department accepted the request, closed the case on June 8, and issued a return order. He was escorted to the Kybartai border crossing on June 15. However, Slovo Zaschchite claims the man fled directly from the frontline in Ukraine, entered Lithuania without a passport, immediately applied for asylum, and was forcibly deported on June 15. Lithuanian officials say they cannot confirm or deny whether he served in the military, as that was irrelevant to the border-crossing investigation. The Migration Department also declined to comment, citing data protection. After his return to Russia, Slovo Zaschchite reports he was detained, though his current whereabouts are unknown. This claim has not been independently verified. Such voluntary withdrawals are not unusual in Lithuania: five Russian nationals withdrew their asylum claims last year, and two have done so this year.