War. And peace.

If any culture or people are familiar with these two things, it’s the Russians. One of their most notable natives and Crimean War veterans, writer Leo Tolstoy, literally wrote the book on the two opposing states, by which, until the day he died, bucked the proclivity of it being called a “novel”, stating that the best Russian literature doesn’t conform to standards.

More than 11 years ago, an unnamed Russian man and former soldier in their army ran amok, nonconformity most likely his guide, and in an instant went from choosing war to peace, deserting his military post on the Kamchatka peninsula in 2004.

The 30-year-old man was wanted by police, naturally, after ditching, but was subsequently declared dead after his family members identified his supposed dead body, thus closing the case on him.

Recently, however, authorities found him, alive, after some of his “neighbors” in the village adjacent to his safe haven notified them of a “suspicious inhabitant”.

This from the BBC:

“The man told police he had built a small house from old construction materials near the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,” a police spokeswoman tells Tass. “He was collecting berries and mushrooms and scrap metal, and worked at a swine farm and went fishing to earn his living.”

The local interior ministry says the man stayed in the Kamchatka region and didn’t attempt to return home or contact his family during his 11 years in hiding. While he has now been detained, NTV points out that it’s not yet clear if he’ll face any punishment because so much time has passed since the original offense.