Mikhail Zhilin, 36, was arrested on December 6 by police in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, as he attempted to board a flight to Armenia, according to reports.
He worked as a shift supervisor at the Federal Guard Service’s special communications and information department in Siberia, and was responsible for communications between Putin’s government and other Russian regions.
Zhilin had access to state secrets, which prevented him and other federal employees from leaving the country.
But on September 26, five days after Putin declared a partial mobilization, Zhilin fled to Kazakhstan and requested political asylum, which was rejected at the end of November.
On December 2, Zhilin was found guilty by a court in northeastern Kazakhstan of illegally crossing the border and sentenced to six months probation.
He attempted to fly to Armenia on December 6, but was detained at the airport in Astana.
Zhilin’s wife, Ekaterina Zhilina, said she believed he was detained because Russia had placed him on an international wanted list for desertion and illegal border crossing.
She said she believes that if her husband is extradited to Russia, he will face ill-treatment and torture.
“A man who knows how to hold a weapon is now of great interest to Russia. That is, they will force him to go to war in every possible way,” she said.
“We are afraid that torture will also be used for this. Because it is difficult to convince a person if he has a firm position on the war,” Zhilina added.
Zhilina said her husband’s relatives and lawyers are appealing the Kazakh authorities’ decision to reject his political asylum request.
If extradited and convicted, Zhilin faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Siberian journalist Yevgenia Baltatarova, who is currently based in Kazakhstan, said on her Telegram channel on December 8 that the 36-year-old faces either a length prison term in Russia or service in “the death battalions,” referring to the notorious mercenary unit the Wagner Group, which has been recruiting convicts for Putin’s war in Ukraine.
After Putin announced a “partial” military mobilization on September 21, hundreds of thousands of Russians fled to neighboring nations, including Georgia, Finland, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia would be targeting 300,000 reservists and ex-military personnel with “certain military specialties and relevant experience.” However, the figure in Putin’s decree has not been disclosed to the public.
Kazakh Interior Minister Marat Akhmetzhanov has said that the Central Asian nation would only extradite Russian citizens who are on Russia’s wanted list.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
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