US and Germany return Russian war opponents to Russia, where some are sent to the front

A flight back to Moscow

A woman who fled Russia and sought asylum in the United States was deported and met by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers when her flight landed in Moscow in December. She had left Russia and claimed asylum two years earlier, but American authorities rejected her application despite what she said were documents showing she had taken part in protests and belonged to an opposition movement. Her name was changed in the BBC report to protect her identity, since she still lives in Russia. Another passenger on the flight and an activist confirmed her account.

According to her, the FSB officers handed all the male deportees military papers ordering them to register at the local enlistment office, and men are often sent from there to fight in Ukraine. Many countries publicly welcomed Russians fleeing after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. More than four years later, attitudes have hardened, and a growing number of anti-war Russians are being returned forcibly from Western countries.

Hours of questioning and ongoing pressure

Officers questioned her and many other deportees for several hours. At one point they found information on her phone that could be used against her, and she said their expressions changed within a second, leaving her afraid she would be taken somewhere. She was eventually released and allowed to stay with relatives. She says police still call her and visit her home, and each time she sees a patrol car she becomes frightened that they have come for her. Her account matches the testimonies of other deportees.

Deportations rising from the United States

The number of people deported from the United States to Russia rose from 222 in 2023 to more than 1,200 in 2025. That increase came during a tightening of migration policy in Donald Trump's second term as president. Some of those sent back have ended up in prison or on the front. Leonid Mielechin, an anti-war activist who applied for asylum in the United States after being detained at protests in Russia, is one of them.

Germany and the asylum squeeze

Germany shows a similar pattern. German government data show that seven Russian citizens were deported from Germany in 2023 and more than 110 in 2025. Between 2022 and 2025, more than 21,000 Russians applied for asylum there. The share of positive decisions fell from 29% in 2023 to just 6.8% in the first eleven months of 2025. Berlin suspended its humanitarian visa programme for Russians in 2025.

Europe is no longer seen as safe

The Russian Anti-War Committee, which operates in exile, has changed its advice to dissidents fleeing repression. It now says the European Union is no longer a safe place and that it is better to seek shelter elsewhere. Mielechin had published photographs of Putin online with captions calling him a murderer, a fascist and a usurper. After his deportation in 2025 he was charged with justifying terrorism and sentenced to six years in prison.