The West increasingly forcibly deports Russian dissidents back to Russia

The key facts

Deportations of Russians from the US grew from 222 in 2023 to more than 1,200 in 2025; from Germany — from 7 to more than 110 over the same period
The share of asylum approvals for Russians in the EU fell from 23% in 2024 to about 17% in the first nine months of 2025
Human rights defenders report cases of prison terms and being sent to war after return; the Russian Foreign Ministry and the embassy in London did not comment

Deportees were met by security services

When a plane with Russians deported from the US landed in Moscow in December, Russian activists who had been denied political asylum were awaited by security service officers. One of the deportees, referred to by the BBC as 'Katya', said that she and others were interrogated for several hours; men, according to her, were handed military summonses ordering them to report to the military enlistment office — her account was confirmed by another passenger on the flight and by an activist. Katya was released, but, according to her, the police continue to call her and come to her home. She confirmed her story with documents and photographs.

Rise in deportations amid tightening migration policy

The number of forced deportations of Russians from the US grew from 222 in 2023 to more than 1,200 in 2025 amid an overall tightening of deportations during President Donald Trump's second term. According to activists, among those deported are dissidents and deserters from the Russian army; some, after returning, were imprisoned or sent to war. The US Department of Homeland Security told the BBC: 'All illegal immigrants receive due process. If a judge determines that an illegal immigrant does not have the right to remain in the country, we will remove them.'

Cases of prison terms after return

Anti-war activist Leonid Melekhin, who sought asylum in the US after arrests at protests, was charged after deportation with 'justifying terrorism' and sentenced to six years in prison. Andrei Pivovarov of the emigrated Anti-War Committee said: 'We have several examples of people who received eight years in prison each upon crossing the [Russian] border.' His organisation now advises dissidents that the EU is no longer safe and it is better to seek asylum in other countries.

Europe is cutting back on granting asylum

Germany increased deportations of Russians from seven in 2023 to more than 110 in 2025. From 2022 to 2025, more than 21,000 Russians applied for asylum in Germany, but the share of positive decisions fell from 29% in 2023 to 6.8% in the first eleven months of 2025. The BAMF office stated: 'Protection is granted only in cases of real, well-founded fear of persecution.' Berlin has suspended the humanitarian visa programme for Russians; according to EU data, the share of Russians granted one form of protection or another fell from 23% in 2024 to about 17% in the first nine months of 2025. Lawyer Anastasia Burakova, founder of the Ark organisation, links the tightening to 'public fears and growing support for right-wing populist parties'.

A deserter's story and a couple in Finland

Former soldier Artyom, who deserted in 2022, says he provided US authorities with evidence of a criminal case opened against him for desertion, but was deported to Moscow via Egypt. 'I was preparing for death,' he said; in Moscow he was held in a military pre-trial detention centre, but managed to escape and is now hiding abroad. In Finland, a couple of anti-war activists (Mikhail and Dasha, names changed) are awaiting deportation 'any day now': the Finnish Immigration Service has five times rejected their asylum request, stating that there are 'no reasonable grounds to believe' they face serious human rights violations. Amnesty International, which supports the couple, believes that upon return they face a 'real risk' of detention, persecution, prison, and torture. The Finnish immigration service stated that all decisions are based on international refugee law standards, and the share of Russians granted asylum corresponds to EU average figures.

Context: repression in Russia and possible mobilisation

The human rights group Memorial notes that repression in Russia has reached an 'unprecedented level': the list of political prisoners grew from 803 to 1,265 people in 2025 — a record increase. The Russian embassy in London did not respond to the BBC's request for comment. According to the BBC, there are rumours of a possible announcement of a new wave of mobilisation, which the Kremlin denies; the previous mobilisation of 2022 forced hundreds of thousands of Russians to leave the country. Burakova's organisation reports that the number of inquiries from people wishing to leave grew tenfold in August compared with May.