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Denis Vasiliev
Military
1999-01-01
At large
Pechenga settlement
Biography
In 2021, he received the Ministry of Defence medal “For Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic.” As a cadet, he assisted in treating military personnel infected with coronavirus, including working in the red zone. A criminal case was opened against him for failure to comply with an order during wartime. According to human rights defender Pavel Chikov, the reason was his refusal to go to the combat zone “for personal convictions.”
Prior to this, Vasilyev had submitted a request for dismissal, but was unable to leave the service due to the announcement of mobilisation. He agreed to be transferred to Franz Josef Land
In 2021, he received the Ministry of Defence medal “For Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic.” As a cadet, he assisted in treating military personnel infected with coronavirus, including working in the red zone. A criminal case was opened against him for failure to comply with an order during wartime. According to human rights defender Pavel Chikov, the reason was his refusal to go to the combat zone “for personal convictions.”
Prior to this, Vasilyev had submitted a request for dismissal, but was unable to leave the service due to the announcement of mobilisation. He agreed to be transferred to Franz Josef Land at the suggestion of the Northern Fleet’s medical service, but subsequently his military unit received an order to deploy to Ukraine. Vasilyev pleaded guilty. He later stated that his refusal to go to war was specifically connected to his expectation of being transferred to another military unit.
On 3 October 2023, he was sentenced to two years in a settlement colony. He was reportedly released at the end of 2025.