Germany approved 2% of asylum appeals by Russians fleeing draft. Most applications still unprocessed

German authorities have only approved 55 asylum applications filed by Russian men who fled the country to avoid fighting the Ukraine war, RND reports, citing the German Interior Ministry.

Since the Ukraine war broke out, 2,485 Russian men aged between 18 and 45 applied for asylum in Germany. Only 814 of them were reviewed: 55 people had their appeals granted, and 88 applications were rejected. The rest of the cases were retracted “in accordance with the Dublin Regulation”. The document states that a person can only file the asylum appeal in the EU country which he entered first after leaving their home country.

Around 1,600 applications are still not processed.

RND notes that the asylum-granting procedure remains an individual-based process, all applicants are particularly screened for involvement in war crimes.

Following the draft announcement in Russia, German authorities said that evading mobilisation and desertion provide reasonable grounds for an asylum application being granted in Germany. At the same time, human rights activists noted that the statement does not mean that deserters will automatically secure the asylum.