They fled Russia, but the West sent them back

"We have several examples of people who got eight years in prison when they crossed the [Russian] border," says Andrei Pivovarov, from Russia's exiled opposition Anti-War Committee.And deportations are taking place from Europe too. His organisation has changed its advice to dissidents escaping Russia: the EU is no longer safe, it is better to seek refuge elsewhere.Germany has sharply increased the number of Russian nationals it deports. Seven were sent back in 2023, rising to more than 110 in 2025, according to German government figures. More than 21,000 Russians sought asylum in Germany between 2022 and 2025, but the proportion of positive decisions fell from 29% in 2023 to just 6.8% in the first eleven months of 2025."Protection is only granted if there is an actual, well-founded fear of persecution," Germany's migration and asylum agency, BAMF, told the BBC.Last year, Berlin suspended its humanitarian visa programme for Russians, and across the EU, the proportion of Russian applicants granted some form of asylum protection fell from 23% in 2024 to around 17% in the first nine months of 2025, according to EU data.Russian opposition activists fleeing repression have become caught ...