After years navigating the byzantine corridors of provincial Russian power, Denis Sharonov now works as a truck driver, steering his way through the vast highways of the US.

Since the start of the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Russians are believed to have left the country, driven by their opposition to the war and the fear of being sent to the frontlines.

Sharonov’s Instagram, once filled with images of him in a suit and tie meeting officials and local farmers in Komi, now resembles one of a travel blogger on a roadtrip across the country.

He claimed he eventually fell out of favour with the regional head, Vladimir Uyba, after Sharonov refused to enter into corrupt land schemes and was dismissed in January 2022.

Sharonov, who at 48 was too old to be mobilised according to Russian law, linked the draft notice to his “drawn-out conflict” with Uyba, who he claimed had tried to get rid of him by sending him to Ukraine.

After a long journey with stops in Kyrgyzstan and Dubai, Sharonov eventually landed in Mexico, where he crossed the US border on foot and applied for asylum.