Russian activist ordered to leave Germany despite pending asylum application

Russian activist Alexander Rudnev faces possible deportation from Germany while his asylum application is still under review, according to a report by the Anti-War Committee of Russia, which cited the activist.

According to the group, local authorities in the northeastern German town of Burg bei Magdeburg issued the order requiring Rudnev to leave the country. He went to the immigration office May 7 to extend his documents but was given a departure order instead of a temporary residence permit.

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is currently reviewing Rudnev’s renewed asylum application. On May 5, two days prior to being handed the departure order, Rudnev attended a personal interview with BAMF, presenting new evidence in support of his case.

Rudnev told the Ochevidcy (“Eyewitnesses”) project that his previous lawyer “ruined his case.” In Germany, he learned German and joined the local Red Cross. Before leaving Russia, he worked as an environmental and civic activist and helped fight wildfires through Greenpeace’s Russian branch.

The Anti-War Committee of Russia said Rudnev and his lawyer consider the migration authorities’ actions unlawful. Lawyers for the project told The Insider that the issue is largely bureaucratic:

“The agencies do not communicate with each other, and often, when issuing a deportation order, they are unaware that the person is in the status of an asylum seeker. It is difficult to assess [the number of such cases], but the incidents are alarming.”

Germany adopted a much tougher migration policy after a change of government in May 2025. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration has pursued a highly visible crackdown on migrants that has often been compared with the Trump administration’s policies in the United States. In 2025, Germany forcibly deported 22,787 people, including 126 Russian nationals, a 14% increase from the previous year.