Radio Free Europe, the dissident radio station which broadcasts democratic news and independent opinion to countries with little free media, has interviewed a bisexual member of the Russian army, who has since deserted and fled outside the authoritarian states of Eastern Europe.

Artyom Bykov claims his path into the Russian military's 273rd Artillery Brigade began with coercion at a police station. The 24-year-old alleges that in November 2024, officers in a Moscow region precinct threatened to plant drugs on him unless he signed a military contract.

Bykov, who has previously attended a drug rehabilitation facility, says his mother called the police on him following a heated argument about his past drug use and his sexual orientation. Faced with the prospect of a criminal case, he felt he had no choice. "I was on the hook with the police; my mother could always testify against me. I chose the lesser of two evils," he told RFE/RL.

After reluctantly signing the contract, he was dispatched to the brigade's training ground. There, he states, the abuse began in earnest when his commanding officers discovered he was bisexual. Bykov alleges he was subjected to repeated beatings.

To read the full account and investigation into Russian Military brutality, visit https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-army-hazing-brutal-violence-deserter/33732979.html

For the international pacifist and anti-military network War Resisters International, visit https://wri-irg.org/en