Germany has turned down the majority of asylum applications from Russian men of conscription age since the onset of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 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 some form of protection. This includes refugee status, asylum, or protection against deportation.

The remaining 95% faced rejections or had their claims closed after securing asylum in other European nations.

“This figure is alarmingly low,” commented Clara Bünger, a member of the opposition Left party, which requested the information to evaluate Germany’s stance on supporting Russian military deserters.

Pro Asyl, Germany’s largest immigration advocacy organization, highlighted that those who are conscientious objectors or eligible for the draft have a lower likelihood of being granted asylum compared to individuals who have already left military service.

Fears regarding the drop in asylum approvals intensified following a Berlin court ruling last August that suggested young Russian conscripts were more likely to be assigned to border guard duties rather than sent to Ukraine, which undermined their claims for asylum.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt mentioned last week that the new administration led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz had directed border police to refuse entry to undocumented migrants, which includes asylum seekers.

Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed support for granting refuge to Russian draft dodgers back in 2022.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization of about 300,000 reservists amid a counteroffensive from Ukraine, which led many eligible for the draft to flee the country to evade potential military service.