Between America and Ukraine: how a political refugee from Russia went to defend Ukraine, and what came of it

The story of Alexander Klimanov could be an excellent plot for an adventure series - however, with an unpredictable end so far. Opposition activities in Russia, work with Mikhail Saakashvili in Ukraine, an immigration prison in the United States, and after that - work in the aerospace sector and the creation of his own startup. All this could have been the ideal scenario for the "American dream", but the realization of this dream was interrupted by the war. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the former activist and entrepreneur decided to make a personal contribution to protecting the country from aggression. Having learned about the creation of the Foreign Legion, which accepts foreigners into the ranks of the armed forces of Ukraine, Alexander, without hesitation, decided to join it. But even here there were some adventures.

Photo from the personal archive of Alexander Klimanov

tattered dream

A few years ago, ForumDaily published great interview с Alexander Klimanov. A refugee from Tomsk became one of the first Russians to seek asylum at the US-Mexico border – a path being traveled today by many. Before ending up in the States, the Russian oppositionist went to Ukraine, where he also initially wanted to join a volunteer battalion. Then his dream was not destined to come true, and Alexander began to fight corruption under the supervision of Mikhail Saakashvili, who at that time was the governor of the Odessa region. However, he failed to obtain a residence permit in Ukraine, and he went to America.

There, Alexander went through all the ordeals of asylum seekers who did not have a visa: overcrowded temporary detention centers, prisons in different states with different, sometimes very harsh conditions - a total of almost 9 months in prison. During his time in prison, a refugee read a book about projects Ilona Mask, after which he caught fire with his ideas. In August 2016, the young man finally received political asylum and began to realize his "space" dreams.

Alexander Klimanov studied at the American Aerospace Technical Academy (American Aerospace Technical Academy) and found his first job in the field he coveted - in the laboratory in Hillsborough. After that, he worked at Tesla, and then decided to develop his own enterprise related to electric cars. However, a new round of war changed everything.

Border is locked tight

Alexander Klimanov says: in order to enroll in the Foreign Legion, you need to pass an interview and fill out the relevant documents at the Ukrainian embassy in your country of residence. As a result, the refugee went to the embassy in Washington, where, having gone through all the necessary formalities, he was accepted into the Legion. There was a question of logistics: civilian planes did not fly to Ukraine, and Alexander, who still had only a Russian passport, did not have an open visa to European countries. On the basis of documents on admission to the Legion, he was able to urgently obtain a visa to Romania for two days, from where he hoped to cross the border and go to Lvov.

Alexander knew that he could not easily return to the United States. He applied for a green card six months before the invasion, but did not have time to wait for the document, and therefore left for the unknown, without any properly formalized grounds for returning. "I couldn't stand by and just watch what was happening.”, the refugee commented on his decision.

Photo from the personal archive of Alexander Klimanov

At the border post of the Romanian-Ukrainian border, Klimanov had to pass an interview with representatives of counterintelligence and the SBU, and, according to him, he passed it successfully. However, the result shocked the future "legionnaire": despite a solid background and enrollment in the Legion, representatives of the border service refused him entry.

«I passed all the checks of the SBU and counterintelligence, there were no questions for me. But the border guards refer to the order of some "chief from above", whose name they refuse to name.", Alexander said.

"Terminal" in Romanian

The Ukrainian military, journalists, foreign volunteers and even presidential advisers joined in resolving the issue. Vladimir Zelensky. However, even on the second day the situation did not change. Things were getting more and more dangerous. The future legionnaire did not have an American visa, a green card or a document to return to the United States (advance password). The Romanian visa ended, and the Ukrainian side still did not want to let him into the country. Like the hero of the famous film "Terminal", Alexander Klimanov found himself in a neutral zone, between the Ukrainian and Romanian border posts. At night, compassionate Romanian border guards let him sleep on the floor in a border hotel, but this did not last long.

«It got to the point that, as a result, border guards with the police came to the volunteer tent on the Romanian side, where I was waiting for a decision, and escorted me to the Ukrainian side, as they say, “out of sight.” But the Ukrainians still refused to let me into the country, and literally kicked me back. Then the Romanians had to send me to the immigration service, and the threat of deportation to Russia hung over me, where I had not been for 7 years, since the transit visa, issued for two days, expired 41 hours ago", - says Alexander.

Nevertheless, after several hours of interrogations and personal examinations, Alexander Klimanov managed to melt the heart of the border guards, and they offered him an option: to obtain temporary asylum in Romania, so that while legally in the country, to resolve the issues that arose with the military attaché at the nearest Ukrainian embassy - as before Alexander was advised by acquaintances from the SBU.

Photo from the personal archive of Alexander Klimanov

«We became so good friends with the gendarmes that the personal search eventually ended with joint photographs, exchange of contacts, hugs, promises to meet after the war, and even a patch presented “shoulder to shoulder”", - says Alexander. - "As for the problems when entering Ukraine, I think that the whole point is in the Russian passport. I was told that the border guards were forbidden to let anyone with "red" passports».

However, however strange and sometimes comical the adventures of a Russian refugee in Romania may have been, it is quite possible that they saved his life. While Alexander was at the border, the Russians hit on training centers at the military training ground Yavorovsky in the Lviv region, where the base of the Foreign Legion is located. ForumDaily continues to follow events.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the US Congress and compared the bombing of Ukraine with Pearl Harbor and the September 11 attacks

Russia imposes sanctions against Biden and other US government officials

Elon Musk invited Putin to fight for Ukraine one on one

'The catastrophe will come abruptly': Fukuyama predicted how the war in Ukraine would end

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