Western nations are stepping up deportations of Russian nationals who fled seeking asylum, a trend that has accelerated significantly in recent years. Case studies documented by the BBC reveal the dangerous circumstances these individuals face upon forced return to their home country.
One Russian woman, identified as Katya, fled Russia and applied for asylum in the US after participating in anti-war protests and opposition movements. Despite providing evidence of her activism, American authorities rejected her application. When deported in December, she encountered Russian security services at the airport who interrogated her for hours and handed military conscription papers to male passengers. She has since experienced ongoing police harassment and surveillance at her residence.
The scale of deportations has grown substantially. From the US, removals of Russian nationals increased from 222 in 2023 to more than 1,200 in 2025, concurrent with stricter immigration enforcement policies implemented during the current administration. Germany has similarly expanded deportations, rising from seven Russian nationals in 2023 to more than 110 in 2025, despite more than 21,000 Russians seeking asylum there between 2022 and 2025. Across the European Union, approval rates for Russian asylum applications dropped from 23% in 2024 to approximately 17% in the first nine months of 2025.
Activists report documented cases of deportees facing serious consequences upon return. One prominent anti-war activist was sentenced to six years imprisonment on charges of “justifying terrorism” after posting critical content about the Russian government online. Military deserters have been imprisoned or conscripted into active service. Legal experts and human rights organizations note that immigration officials often dismiss applicants’ claims of persecution and lack adequate understanding of conditions within Russia.
The crackdown reflects broader immigration restrictions across Western democracies responding to public concerns about asylum applications and irregular migration. Human rights organizations argue this shift prioritizes limiting humanitarian programs over assessing genuine risks of persecution, ultimately endangering opposition figures and conscription resisters fleeing Russia during a period when Memorial reports political repression has reached unprecedented levels.
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