Russian lawyer and human rights activist Katja Dikovskaya, currently director of the movement for conscientious objection in Russia in the context of her international organization stoparmy , spoke on this topic. Her commitment dates back to the beginning of the century, when she worked with the Soldiers' Mothers in St. Petersburg and later for the now banned organization MEMORIAL.
Katya Dikovskaya began by introducing her organization, which has been supporting conscientious objectors since 2013 and is committed to civil education against militarization, war propaganda, and oppression. In view of what she described as Russia's demonization of the Ukrainian government as Nazis and fascists or Western puppets, she reported on the retreat of many Russian people into self-censorship, avoidance of open speech, and emigration.
The current situation regarding the recruitment of soldiers now covers the 18-30 age group and is strictly controlled. Applications for conscientious objection are often not decided. Contract soldiers are kept in service beyond the contractually agreed period. Many soldiers apply to join the Ukrainian program: I want to live. The feminist anti-war resistance of Russian women is particularly active in the search for missing persons and prisoners. At the same time, Dikovskaya perceives a deep social crisis, which is reflected in the fact that returning soldiers are increasingly resorting to domestic violence against women.
Lawyer Artem Klyga from Russia specializes in military law. He reported on his extensive experience with recruitment, conscientious objection, and all other issues related to asylum. Since March 2025, he has been working as a specialist advisor for Eastern Europe with a focus on Russian military law, and is active in the EU Asylum Agency on issues of Russian military and civil law and in the UN context. Since he himself was forced into military service, he has been living in exile. He confirmed and reinforced the assessment of the previous speaker on the situation within Russia and argued that “information mobilization” makes people part of the war even without weapons – through likes, donations for military purposes, militaristic rhetoric from journalists, and memes.
He described how the right to conscientious objection is being undermined in Russia and Ukraine during the war. In the EU, 60 anti-war initiatives have approached the European Parliament to protect conscientious objectors, deserters, and those who have surrendered as soldiers. The states have been reluctant to address the issue, especially Estonia, Finland, and Latvia. In Germany, only 349 of 6,374 Russian men between the ages of 18 and 45 who applied for asylum between early 2022 and April 2025 have been granted refugee status, asylum seeker status, or protection from deportation. More recent cases show that German courts sometimes rule differently than the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
From the outset, the audience showed a strong interest in voicing dissenting opinions, not just as interjections, but also as longer comments. This was instructive for the foundation, as it became clear that - especially when people are personally affected by the issue - the sources and veracity of the speech can also be questioned. Such a situation is certainly a challenge, but it also offers an opportunity to reflect on appropriate discussion formats for the necessary and more intensive exchange, in which people from currently opposing (state) collectives can also engage in dialogue with each other.
In May 2024, Connection e.V. received the International Bremen Peace Award from the die schwelle foundation. More information can be found here: Connection
