Majority of Asylum Applications from Russian Draft-Age Men in Germany Rejected Amid Ongoing Conflict

Germany has turned down the vast majority of asylum applications submitted by Russian men of draft age since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Moscow, as reported by the Berliner Morgenpost on Tuesday.

According to data from the Interior Ministry cited by the publication, only 349 out of 6,374 Russian men aged 18 to 45 who sought asylum between early 2022 and April 2025 were granted protection. This protection could include refugee status, asylum, or protection from deportation.

The remaining 95% either had their applications rejected or had their cases closed after obtaining asylum in another European country.

“This is an embarrassingly low figure,” remarked Clara Bünger, a lawmaker from the opposition Left party, which had requested the statistics to evaluate Germany’s support for Russian military deserters.

Pro Asyl, Germany’s largest immigration advocacy organization, highlighted that conscientious objectors and draft-age men typically have lower chances of success compared to those who have successfully fled military service.

Fears surrounding decreasing asylum approvals intensified after a Berlin court ruled last August that young Russian conscripts are more likely to be assigned to border guard units rather than being deployed in Ukraine, thus undermining their claims for protection.

Last week, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the new government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz had directed border police to refuse entry to undocumented migrants, including those seeking asylum.

Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz had previously been supportive of offering refuge to Russian draft evaders in 2022.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization of approximately 300,000 reservists in response to a Ukrainian counteroffensive, which led thousands of men eligible for the draft to flee the country to evade potential military service.