The founder of "Gulagu.net", human rights defender Volodymyr Osechkin informed that his project temporarily stops the evacuation abroad of Russian military personnel who oppose the Russian war in Ukraine.
This happened after their ward — former Russian paratrooper Pavlo Filatyev, who was evacuated abroad — confessed to war crimes.
Pavlo Filatyev
Anders Hansson
In 2022, "Gulagu.net" helped him leave Russia and publish the book "ZOV 56" about the war in Ukraine. But Filatyev hid his involvement in war crimes.
"As the Swedish journalist Erik de la Regera found out (at the time of writing us letters at the end of July 2022, his first interviews with us in August and subsequent meetings with journalists in France), Pavlo Filatyev knew that a number of those detained by him and his colleagues from Airborne Ukrainians were subsequently shot and hanged, i.e. killed," says the message of the "Gulagu.net" project.
According to Filatyev, former co-workers told him about the executions after the book was published. However, the Russian soldier refused to voluntarily testify to Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators at the embassy in Paris.
"Taking into account this situation and the negative experience, we are temporarily stopping the program to assist the evacuation of persons who are directly related to the Russian army and power units," noted Volodymyr Osechkin.
He added that he intends to file the credentials of the head of the New dissidents foundation, which is engaged in evacuation from Russia.
- In January 2023, the Russian Andriy Medvedev, who is a former commander from the PMC "Wagner", illegally crossed the border and asked for asylum. Volodymyr Osyechkin reported that Medvedev crossed the border with Norway in the area of Nickel settlement of Murmansk region. Later, the "Wagnerian" was charged with violence — he got into a fight outside a pub in Oslo.
- Medvedev was released on February 22 after being questioned about the incident. He testified during the interrogation, but pleaded not guilty.