Russian lovers who deserted ‘meat grinder’ war and hopped in kayak to escape now face prison

Russian lovers who deserted the military over the horrors of Moscow’s “meat grinder” war in Ukraine braved eight harrowing days in a single kayak on the Black Sea to flee — and now face potential prison.

Alisa and Sergei Sadovnikov fell in love while deployed in the second year of the Ukraine invasion, both convinced that they were doing the right thing by serving their country and taking on the allegedly evil Kyiv.

It wasn’t until Sergei, a 37-year-old combat medic, was sent to the front lines that they learned the truth: They were the expendable bodies of the invading force, Alisa told RadioFree Europe.

“The enemy wasn’t where we had been told it was — it was right in front of me,” said Alisa, 30.

Sergei had been loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin through two separate previous deployments, including with the Wagner mercenary group that launched a failed mutiny in 2023.

But when he was deployed to the front lines with the 76th Pskov Air Assault Division in Ukraine, Sergei learned of Russia’s infamous “meat grinder” tactic, where Moscow would throw waves of men to die and whittle down Ukraine’s defenses, he said.

That tactic eventually included him, leaving him wounded — then sent back out again despite his injuries, RFE reported.

“Everything became clear to me,” Sergei told the outlet. “They started taking assistants from my group and sending them on assault missions. Right before my eyes, about 100 meters away, two entire companies were wiped out.”

With Sergei witnessing the horrors of the frontlines and Alisa seeing the abuse women suffered in the military, the two staged an escape together and hit the road.

After spending months living “like rats” on the run from Putin’s forces, the Sadovnikovs bought a kayak and took to the Black Sea on a live-or-die journey to the Turkish border.

The couple had to ditch all metal on the kayak and makeshit sail to try and avoid Russian radar, with four storms hitting them as they traveled more than 205 miles on the sea, they told RFE.

“We had no strength left. The wind was against us, and the waves were brutal,” Alisa said of the voyage. “We were expending all our energy just trying to stay in one place.”

The Sadovnikovs would have to endure three entire days without food during the voyage, but they were able to safely arrive in Turkey, with the couple’s eyes set on Spain, one of the few refuges for Russian defectors.

But after they set sail again in the Aegean Sea, the couple was intercepted by the Greek Coast Guard, which seized their phones and put them into the custody of Turkish border guards in Aydin.

The Aydin guards, who have been repeatedly accused of beating detainees by human rights groups, allegedly hit Sergei in the head after shutting off the surveillance cameras.

The Sadovnikovs are now at risk of being deported back to Russia, where they would face up to 10 years in prison for desertion, according to Tvyordy Znak, an organization that helps Russian defectors escape and settle abroad.