Finland deports 104 Russians who sought political asylum

From January to September, Finnish authorities deported 104 Russian citizens who had applied for political asylum.

This was reported by Yle, according to Ukrinform.

According to the Finnish police, as reported by the media project of the International Broadcasting Center of the Polish national broadcaster TVP, most of the deportees fled conscription and waited for a decision for about two and a half years.

Finland is denying them asylum because, according to the authorities, conscription in Russia has allegedly ended and the applicants are not in danger. At the same time, the law on the end of conscription has not yet been signed.

According to the Finnish Immigration Service, the threat of conscription alone is not sufficient grounds for granting asylum. However, some applicants have been granted status, for example, if they were at risk of being involved in war crimes.

Some Russians refused to leave the country voluntarily, so 18 people were deported under police escort. They were sent to Turkey or Estonia.

As reported, Finland closed its border crossings with Russia in November 2023.

Photo: Pyry Sarkiola / Yle