How to entice Russian soldiers out of Ukraine

Reports of low Russian military morale—bodies left on the battlefield, soldiers looting for food and other necessaries—suggest a tactic worth considering. NATO should announce that any Russian troops who defect will be granted temporary refuge in the West. A soldier could surrender to a Ukrainian military unit or government office or at a NATO country’s border crossing. He would be permitted to stay until Mr. Putin’s regime is overthrown, at which point he would have to return to Russia. In selected cases—perhaps when a defecting soldier can prove he would be persecuted by a post-Putin regime—he might apply for formal protection under the 1953 Refugee Convention, which usually leads to permanent residency. Human-rights violators and serious criminals would not qualify.

Advertisement

Such a scheme is likely to be effective because even a few initial defections can have a cascading effect, especially if other troops fear that the offer may be time-limited. The scheme would entail no risk to NATO forces (quite the contrary) and cost the NATO countries essentially nothing, particularly if the defectors are spread among them. In the U.S., the idea should have bipartisan political support; it both exploits the “soft power” that liberals claim America has forfeited and advances U.S. foreign-policy interests.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement