Finland has rejected the majority of asylum requests from Russian men who fled military mobilization. The Finnish Immigration Service has now processed nearly all applications from over a thousand individuals, many of whom had been awaiting decisions for several years.
The delays were largely due to efforts to establish a consistent policy across Europe regarding such cases.
“By the end of April, almost all applications that have been pending for more than 21 months will be processed. A few dozen are still awaiting review. Our goal is to process all of them by the end of June. Positive decisions were made in cases where there were grounds for granting asylum, but in the majority of cases — no,” said Anu Karppi, Head of the Legal and Expert Department at the Finnish Immigration Service, Migri.
Karppi also stressed that avoiding mobilization alone does not automatically qualify someone for asylum. Each applicant’s situation is evaluated individually, focusing on the potential consequences of being drafted or refusing military service.
According to recent figures, during the past six months of intensified case reviews, Migri denied asylum to nearly 70% of Russian applicants seeking protection after fleeing conscription.
