From the beginning of 2022 to April 2025, 6374 Russians aged 18 to 45 applied for asylum in Germany, of which only 349 men received refugee status, the right to additional protection due to impending danger in their homeland, or were subject to a deportation ban, writes Deutsche Welle* citing the response of the German Ministry of the Interior to a request from Bundestag member from the Left Party, Clara Bünger.
The deputy sought to find out to what extent Berlin provides an opportunity for Russian deserters and other men unwilling to participate in Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine to take refuge. In 2022, former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Germany would provide protection to Russians seeking to avoid participation in the war.
The majority of asylum applications submitted by Russian men in Germany during the specified period were rejected or the procedure was completed without result, as another EU country was responsible for reviewing the application.
According to Clara Bünger, considering that after the start of the war in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of men unwilling to serve in the military left Russia, the figure of 349 approved asylum applications in Germany is "shamefully low." And the government of Olaf Scholz did not fulfill the promises made.
* Recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent."