France granted asylum to 19 Russian army deserters in 2024

In July, the National Asylum Court (CNDA) recognized in principle the refugee status of Russian soldiers who refused to fight in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the year, the CNDA has announced that nineteen Russian citizens have been granted asylum in France. They refused to fight in Ukraine.

The Court’s doctrine, the first in France, is to grant refugee status to Russian citizens who “have demonstrated a personal risk of persecution if returned to Russia due to non-compliance with partial mobilization as part of the war waged by Russian armed forces against Ukraine.”

It is based on the European Directive of 13 December 2011 and the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 26 February 2015.

However, this asylum is not automatically granted. The court rejected an application for asylum by a Russian who presented himself as a deserter, finding that “the submitted declarations and documents do not allow us to establish that the applicant was mobilized in the context of the war” of Russia in Ukraine. “To qualify for refugee protection, you must prove your mobilization through specific elements, such as documents or detailed and personalized declarations,” explained CNDA Vice President Christine Masse-Degua.