Geogria: AWOL Russian Soldier Says He Has "Gotten Used" to Life in Tbilisi

Six weeks after he left the Russian army to seek asylum in Georgia, former Junior Sergeant Alexander Glukhov has traded life on the South Ossetian frontlines for a new apartment and new friends in Tbilisi.

Glukhov ran away from his battalion in mid-January, complaining of bad "relations" with his commanding officers and "bad" conditions at his camp in breakaway South Ossetia's disputed Akhalgori District. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Sitting in a central Tbilisi coffee house on March 9, the former solider, dressed in a leather jacket, T-shirt and jeans, appeared collected and at ease, a far cry from the profile of a disheveled Russian non-commissioned officer shown on Georgian television just over a month ago.

For both Tbilisi and Moscow, the 21-year-old from the central Russian autonomous republic of Udmurtia has become a symbol of the August 2008 war. After Glukhov's desertion became public in late January, Russian officials initially claimed that he had been kidnapped, and the incident threatened to jeopardize the uneasy peace between Russia and Georgia. Moscow, however, quickly toned down its rhetoric when it became apparent that Glukhov had left his post voluntarily.

Russian media now portray Glukhov -- often shown eating a hamburger in a Tbilisi McDonald's while talking with Georgian and international media -- as an object for ridicule, rather than as a victim.

In Georgia, some political pundits initially predicted that scores of Russian soldiers would follow Glukhov's example and cross over from South Ossetia to seek warm baths and hot meals in Tbilisi. Such a scenario, of course, has not unfolded. At the same time, Shota Utiashvili, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, told EurasiaNet that Moscow has ceased to contact the Georgian government about returning the non-commissioned officer to Russia.

Today, Glukhov lives alone in a two-room Tbilisi apartment, and said that he has a Georgian girlfriend who "knows Russian well" whom he met through "a friend." Still unemployed, he splits his time between working out at a local gym and watching comedies downloaded from the Internet. He declined to say where he is living in the Georgian capital.

Travel has also occurred. Glukhov said that he has visited the town of Mtskheta, Georgia's former capital, not far from Tbilisi. He noted that he is "studying Georgian" informally; despite interjecting one conversational colloquialism in his speech, he says he has not had "too much success" with the language yet.

"I have gotten used to [life in Georgia]," he said, emphasizing that he plans to stay.

How much freedom of movement Glukhov actually has is unclear. While the ex-soldier claims that he can wander around Tbilisi "by himself" on foot, he later stated that his "friend" Paata, whom he described as an official from the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodations, drives him to his destinations.

Paata, who declined to give his last name, or to confirm his place of employment "for security concerns," also provides Glukhov with Internet access, according to Glukhov.

Glukhov described himself as eagerly awaiting a job via the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodations, which he said has arranged for his apartment and a daily 15-lari (roughly $9) stipend. The ministry supplies all other needs, he said. Ministry officials could not be reached for comment on Glukhov's arrangements.

Re-establishing contact with his family remains one grey spot. The Russian press has recently focused on an alleged February attempt by Glukhov's mother to visit him in Tbilisi. Georgian officials have said that Galina Glukhova was not allowed to travel on to Tbilisi after reaching Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital. Travel into and from Georgian-controlled territory is restricted on both sides of South Ossetia's administrative border with the Georgian region of Shida Kartli.

Glukhov said he "doesn't know what happened" to his mother's travel plans. He told EurasiaNet that he does not have the "possibility" to call home since his government-provided mobile phone can only make local calls. He later insisted, however, that no one is "obstructing" him from calling home, but that he has not had the "time" to do so.

"I can call if I want. I have money. I can call myself. . . . It would take up time, I guess," he said. The International Red Cross had reportedly been involved in arranging the meeting. Red Cross representatives in Tbilisi did not respond to requests for information.