The Netherlands has ruled that Russian men seeking asylum to escape Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation order no longer have the right to stay in the country as they are no longer at immediate risk of being called up to serve.
The country’s government said: “Russian Defense Minister has announced that the mobilisation has been completed, and instructed the military units to halt mobilisation work as of October 31.”
Eric van der Burg, the Dutch migration minister, announced that the country’s immigration service (IND) now has the power to reject asylum applications from Russians.
In addition, decisions on asylum applications from new Russian conscripts who refuse to serve or those who have deserted the military have been halted for the next six months.
Anyone who has travelled to the Netherlands is able to remain for the time being.
The ministry explained that more reliable information about “to what extent conscripts in Russia were (forcefully) deployed in the war in Ukraine” was needed.
As a result, “it is not yet possible to carefully decide on the asylum applications of Russian conscripts from 18 to 27 years old”.
Professional soldiers who have deserted the military are exempt from the suspension.
Read more via The Telegraph
