‘Our focus is weakening the Russian army’: For four years, Grigory Sverdlin’s aid group has helped Russians evade the draft and desert

In September 2022, immediately after Putin announced “partial” mobilization, Grigory Sverdlin, the former director of Nochlezhka, a foundation that helps the homeless, launched Idite Lesom (“Get Lost”). For four years now, the project has been helping Russians avoid taking part in the war — evading