On February 5, a court in Astana denied Russian serviceman Evgeny Korobov the status of a refugee. This became known through his lawyer, Arthur Alkhastov, who works at the Kazakhstan Bureau for Human Rights. Alkhastov informed the news project "That's How It Is".
According to information, since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, similar decisions have been made regarding ten other deserters, and Korobov became the eleventh on this list.
Evgeny Korobov is a senior lieutenant who graduated from a military school and served in the army. He participated in combat operations from the very beginning but claims he never shot at people. During one of the missions, he injured his leg to avoid further participation in the conflict. At the end of 2022, after hospitalization, Korobov crossed the border and ended up in Kazakhstan, where he was granted temporary residence permission. Since April 2024, he had been in the status of an asylum seeker. During this time, a criminal case was initiated against him in Russia under Article 338 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (desertion), and he was placed on a federal and then international wanted list. Because of this, it became impossible to extend his temporary residence permit in Kazakhstan.
Korobov applied twice to the Employment and Social Protection Department of Astana for refugee status, but was denied both times. An attempt to challenge this in court was unsuccessful. Lawyer Arthur Alkhastov stated his intention to file an appeal, believing that the denial was politically motivated, which creates risks of persecution for his client in his homeland.
If the court's decision comes into force, Korobov will be required to leave Kazakhstan within 30 days. In the event of deportation, he may face up to 15 years of imprisonment.
