Russian Artem Zinchenko, who was sentenced in Estonia to five years in 2017 for collaborating with the GRU and then returned to Russia as a result of an exchange for another prisoner, fled back to Estonia. Write about it Yahoo News and Eesti Päevaleht .
Zinchenko said that he decided to flee Russia long before the announcement of mobilization on September 21. First, his wife and children left, then he sold his apartment in St. Petersburg and followed them. According to him, the decision to flee was motivated by the Kremlin's brutality both at home and abroad, as well as Estonia's humane treatment of him, despite the fact that he was arrested in that country as an enemy agent.
“A terrible situation happened on February 24th. This is the worst scenario imaginable, and it was not only because my relatives live there [in Ukraine], but also because of the huge number of innocent victims,” Zinchenko said.
Zinchenko assures that the Estonian special services did not help him in organizing the escape. At the same time, according to him, the Russian security forces had no time to follow him after the start of the war.
“We've never had a case like this,” Estonian counterintelligence chief Alexander Toots told Yahoo News. “I don’t think anyone has.”
“Many officers of the Russian services are against the war. They consider it a crime against Russia and the Russian people. We will be more than happy to talk to anyone who is looking for a new place to live,” added Toots.