Boris, a 38-year-old Russian man, fled after the FSB confronted him with printouts of his social media posts criticizing the invasion of Ukraine and gave him two options: prison under Russia's war censorship legislation or joining the military. He drove to the Calexico border checkpoint on February 14 with a group of nine Russians, including a family with four children and a 4-month-old baby. He handed passports to the booth officer and said 'political asylum' in English. All adults were immediately handcuffed. No interpreter was provided at any point — officials communicated only in English and through gestures. He was chained at the hands and ankles, bused to an airport near Los Angeles, and forced to wait on the bus for six or seven hours with no food, water, or explanation before being flown to Panama on a military plane.