28th May 2026
The Administrative Regional Court in Riga has ordered Latvian authorities to grant refugee status to a Russian citizen who feared being conscripted into military service and potentially participating in the war against Ukraine.
The court overturned the previous decision by migration authorities, citing the new report from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) on the situation of vulnerable groups in Russia, which was published in December 2025. Artem Klyga, the Eastern Europe Program Coordinator at «Connection e.V.», contributed as an expert in the preparation of the section on military service.
The court determined that even regular military service in Russia could, with a high degree of probability, lead to participation in combat operations and that refusal to serve could entail criminal consequences. The applicant had not previously received a draft notice, nor was he militarily registered in Russia.
This decision could become a significant precedent for asylum procedures for Russian conscientious objectors and individuals threatened by mobilization.