The news outlet obtained this information from the ministry’s answer to a question by lawyer and Bundesdag member Clara Bunger. The news outlet obtained this information from the ministry’s answer to a question from lawyer and Bundesdag member Clara Bunger.
According to RND, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has received about 3,500 asylum applications from Russian citizens, many attempting to flee conscription, reaching decisions on around 1500. Around 1000 of these applications were referred to another country under the EU Dublin Regulation, since Germany isn’t the first EU nation many Russian citizens arrive in. In September 2022 she spoke in the Bundestag to support granting humanitarian visas. She noted that protecting people who flee conscription would make it harder for Russia to continue its invasion.
Consequently, Bunger lamented the number of application approvals. In a statement to RND, she said that 90 approvals was “grotesquely low” and criticized the ruling coalition’s execution of its promises to protect Russian objectors.
Germany’s asylum process for Russian objectors has come under fire for a lack of clarity and consistency. In February, a German advocacy group criticized the German government for rejecting the asylum application of a Russian man aged 40, citing the age. This was despite the fact that a new Russian law allows men to be conscripted up to the age of 65. The Moscow
Times-
reported that one Russian asylum seeker had complained to them about not receiving deadlines despite going through a nine-month interview process. The Irish Times reported on the case of an objector who German authorities wanted sent to Poland but the man was afraid that Polish authorities would send him back to Russia.