Pavel Filatyev was born in 1988 in Volgodonsk, Russia. When he came of age, he enlisted in the Russian army, following in his father’s footsteps, and served for three years. After leaving the army, Pavel worked as a horse breeder while studying for a history education degree. During the coronavirus pandemic, he re-enlisted as a paratrooper.

Forced by the terms of his military contract – and misinformed about the purposes of the attack – Pavel was part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. After he was evacuated from the front line with an eye injury two months later, Pavel then refused to return to the war zone.

As an act of conscience, he felt compelled to write ZOV, an account of what he witnessed in Ukraine. Pavel was able to leave Russia to escape prosecution for going public with his protest against the war and, after a perilous journey, reached France, where he has received political asylum. Pavel is now able to speak openly and share the truth about the war, the Russian military and government.