90 out of 3500 Russians trying to avoid conscription granted German asylum

Some 3,500 Russian men of conscription age have applied for asylum in Germany since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but only 90 have been accepted so far, reported dpa.

The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has so far decided on more than 1,500 of the applications from Russia, the ministry said in a response to a parliamentary question by lawmaker Clara Bünger from the opposition far-left Die Linke (The Left) party.

According to Bünger, in the majority of the applications - about 1,100 - another EU member state is responsible for the asylum request according to the bloc's so-called Dublin Regulation on migration.

The rules stipulate that asylum seekers must file their claims in the first EU country in which they are registered, with only limited exceptions. Asylum seekers who nonetheless try to file applications elsewhere in the EU, often in wealthier northern countries like Germany, can be sent back under the Dublin rules.

In its response to the parliamentary question, the German Interior Ministry wrote: "The current decision-making practice provides for the following: Deserters may continue to receive international protection on a regular basis. In addition, persons who are to be drafted into the army and refuse to serve will be granted international protection, provided that the conditions for this are met."

Far-left lawmaker Bünger criticized Germany's centre-left coalition government following the response, saying while it was "good at writing human rights on its banners and making fine-sounding promises," there was a lack of success when it comes to implementation.