Yevgeny Korobov. Photo: vot-tak.tv.
A court in Astana on February 5 denied refugee status to Russian serviceman Yevgeny Korobov. His defense lawyer, Artur Alkhastov of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights, told the outlet Vot Tak (designated by Russia’s Justice Ministry as a “foreign agent”).
According to Alkhastov, since the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Kazakhstan has issued similar decisions against ten other Russian deserters; Korobov is the eleventh.
Senior Lieutenant Yevgeny Korobov is a graduate of a military academy and a career officer. He fought from the very beginning of the campaign but, by his account, did not shoot at anyone at close range and, during one mission, shot himself in the leg in order to leave the front. At the end of 2022, after hospitalization, he fled to Kazakhstan, where he received temporary residence permission. Since April 2024, he had held asylum-seeker status. In the meantime, a criminal case was opened against him in Russia under Article 338 of the Criminal Code (“Desertion”), and he was placed first on a federal and then on an international wanted list. After that, extending his temporary stay in Kazakhstan became impossible.
Korobov twice applied to Astana’s Department of Employment and Social Protection for refugee status but was refused. He was unable to overturn that decision in a court in the Kazakh capital. Alkhastov said he will file an appeal. He argues that his client’s refusal to fight is politically motivated and therefore grounds for political persecution at home.
Once the court decision enters into force, Korobov will be required to leave Kazakhstan within 30 days, Alkhastov noted. If deported, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
