17-year-old Russian, turning 18 soon. I don't want to become part of this war. What can I realistically do?
I'm writing this from a throwaway account for obvious reasons.
I'm 17 years old and live in Russia. I'll turn 18 in November, and I'm currently finishing school.
I have never supported the war in Ukraine. I know that Ukrainians are the ones suffering and dying because of it, and I don't want to minimize that in any way.
At the same time, I can't pretend that this hasn't completely changed my own life too. I'm scared. I'm angry and deeply sad that the country where I was born and where my home is has become a machine built around war. I worry about my family and what might happen to them. And now I'm getting closer to the age when I could be required to serve.
I didn't choose any of this. I didn't choose to be born in Russia, I didn't choose this government, and I didn't choose this war. As a minor, I also simply haven't had the freedom or resources to just leave whenever I wanted.
I would genuinely like to be able to do something politically meaningful. I would like to oppose what is happening rather than simply run away from it. But I'm 17, I have very limited possibilities, and I'm not in a position where I can realistically become a political activist or meaningfully change anything. That doesn't mean I don't care.
What I do know is that I don't want to participate in the war. I don't want to join the military, I don't want to become part of the machinery that is carrying it out, and I don't want to be forced into something I fundamentally disagree with.
I've been looking into asylum and other legal ways of leaving Russia, but I'm honestly very confused about what is realistically possible for someone in my situation. I don't want to make up stories about being persecuted or pretend something happened to me that didn't. I just want to find a legal and safe way out before I become part of this.
I've also encountered the idea that because I'm Russian, I'm somehow personally responsible for everything happening. I understand why people in countries affected by the war may feel anger towards Russians. I don't blame them for being angry. But it's difficult to hear that when I'm desperately trying to make sure that I personally don't contribute to it.
So I'm asking people who live in Europe or know European asylum and immigration systems:
What would you realistically recommend someone like me do?
Are there realistic legal ways for a 17-year-old Russian to leave and stay somewhere in Europe? Could asylum or another form of protection apply in circumstances like mine? Are there countries where my situation would be treated more seriously than others?
I'm not asking anyone to tell me that I'm guaranteed asylum. I just want to know if there is actually a path forward, because right now it feels like I'm trapped between a country whose actions I don't support and a world that may see me as guilty simply because I was born there.
Any serious advice would mean a lot to me.