I deserted the Russian army and came to the UK on a small boat to escape Putin’s spies | UK | News
A man who left the Russian army and went to England on a small boat told his story for the first time. Alisher Hassanov (not his real name) moved to Russia from his native Tajikistan in 2020.
After working various jobs, he was arrested in 2024 and told that his visa had expired. While in custody, Hassanov was given an ultimatum: either serve in the Russian army or be sent to prison. he said Times: ‘Sign a one-year contract,’ they said, ‘Everything will be fine.’ ‘If you don’t sign, we will make sure you are sent to prison and they won’t even ask you anything from there. They’ll send you straight to the front.’”
Hassanov details the brutal reality on the front lines of Putin’s war, paying little attention to the lives of the foot soldiers used as cannon fodder for mounting gains.
After several months of fighting in high-intensity operations, Hassanov was wounded and sent to the rear for treatment of his wounds.
After being discharged from hospital, Hassanov was able to return to Tajikistan to see his parents, but he feared that the Russian passport he said he was forced to accept would put him at risk of being detained and sent back to the Russian army.
Therefore, he decided to fly to Türkiye in order to get to the west safely.
Funded by his service in the Russian army, Hassanov paid £3,500 to an intermediary to be smuggled into Germany with Afghan migrants.
After being refused asylum in the country following the German government’s strict immigration crackdown, he was left unable to apply for asylum in another EU country, leaving the UK as his preferred destination.
He set out for Dunkirk with the intention of reaching England by small boat, which he accomplished in September at a cost of just over £1,000.
After boarding the boat filled with about 40 people, Hassanov said the French coast guard distributed life jackets and escorted them before the British coast guard took over.
Describing his dangerous journey, he said: “After the fear, adrenaline and terror of war, all of these become easier.”
Hassanov is currently awaiting the outcome of his asylum application in the UK and even now lives in fear of Russian retaliation.
He believes another Tajik man also deserted the Russian army but was captured and has not been heard from since.
He hopes to live in England, but if his application is rejected, he says, “I won’t give up, I’ll keep going.”
