In brief
German citizens have applied for temporary asylum in Russia at the highest rate among EU nationals. In the first nine months of 2026, 49 German applicants were recorded, surpassing other EU countries. The trend has continued over the past three years, with each year seeing more German asylum seekers than any other European Union country.
In the first nine months of 2026, 49 German citizens applied for temporary asylum in Russia, according to data released by the Russian Interior Ministry and reported by TASS. This number is the highest among European Union countries.
The Interior Ministry’s record shows that Latvia and Lithuania were next, with 36 and 12 applicants respectively, while Italy and Estonia each had seven, France had six and Bulgaria and the Czech Republic had four each. Greece’s figure was three.
German asylum seekers have maintained the top spot for several years. In 2023, 111 German citizens filed for temporary asylum in Russia. The number rose to 116 in 2024 and further to 93 in 2025, again dominating the list of EU applicants.
During the first quarter of 2026 alone, 3,802 foreign nationals filed for asylum in Russia. German applicants accounted for a large share of this total, underscoring a continuing trend of Germans seeking protection in Moscow and other parts of the country.
The data suggest that German nationals are turning to Russia for temporary refuge more frequently than citizens from other EU member states, a pattern that has persisted for three consecutive years. Russian authorities continue to process these applications under the country’s temporary asylum policy.
