FSO officer Mikhail Zhilin, who fled from Russia to Kazakhstan amid mobilization, is being extradited back to Russia. This is reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe with reference to his wife Ekaterina.
“He called me from his cell, said that he was in Semey. And he will now be taken to the border with Russia. <…> They say that they have already been taken to the Veseloyarsk checkpoint, as the checkpoint is called by the Russian Federation, ”said Ekaterina.
Zhilin served in the FSO for 18 years. After partial mobilization was announced in Russia, he decided to leave for Kazakhstan with his family, but, fearing that he would not be released, he crossed the border illegally. He was detained by Kazakh border guards.
In Kazakhstan, they refused to grant him refugee status and opened a criminal case against him for illegally crossing the border, after which the court decided to deport him from the country. In Russia, a similar case was brought against him and, moreover, he was accused of desertion.
Zhilin tried to leave for Armenia, but could not, because Russia had already put him on the international wanted list.