A Russian citizen obtained asylum in Latvia through the courts in order to avoid being drafted into the army and participating in the war with Ukraine. This was reported by Delfi.
The man arrived in Latvia after the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He applied to the State Border Guard with an application for refugee status or other alternative status. He justified his position in the statement by the fact that in his homeland he could be drafted into the army and sent to war, while the man himself opposes the invasion of Ukraine and does not support the Russian authorities.
The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs refused satisfy his application, after which the Russian appealed to the local court. At the meetings, he said that he did not want to participate in the war and commit war crimes, in which the Russian army was involved. The man added that he had previously participated in rallies in support of politician Alexei Navalny, and he was forced to leave Russia for fear of political persecution.
The court satisfied the claim of the Russian and ordered the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs to grant him asylum in Latvia.