cover of episode The Deserter: Parts 4 and 5

The Deserter: Parts 4 and 5

2024/9/29
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Ivan, a Russian Army captain fighting in Ukraine, gets injured and devises a plan to escape the war. He fakes the severity of his back injury to get transferred to a hospital in Russia, hoping to avoid redeployment. Ivan faces numerous challenges, including navigating the military's medical system and dealing with incompetent doctors.
  • Ivan fakes a back injury to escape the war.
  • He faces challenges in the Russian military's medical system.
  • Ivan plans to get surgery in Russia to avoid redeployment.

Shownotes Transcript

In “The Deserter,” Sarah A. Topol reports the story of Ivan, a captain in the Russian Army who fought in Ukraine and then ultimately fled the war and his country with his wife, Anna. Topol spoke to 18 deserters while reporting in eight countries across four continents over the last year and a half; their experiences helped paint a vivid picture of the Russian war operation and its corruption, chaos and brutality.

Narrated by Liev Schreiber.

“The Deserter” is a five-part special series in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine.

All five parts of this audio feature can be found here) or by searching for “The Deserter” on the NYT Audio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

The text version of the story can be found here).