Everyone jumping to critisize the Baltic states for not promising preemtive asylum to all Russians in danger of being mobilised, please take a breath.
This is a thread on our policy:
This is a thread on our policy:
1. I speak for Estonia but am sure Latvia and Lithuania as EU members follow rougly the same policy.
2. A few days aga we were critisized for suspending the issue of tourist visas for Russians. Then the Russians said they dont want to ask for asylum,
2. A few days aga we were critisized for suspending the issue of tourist visas for Russians. Then the Russians said they dont want to ask for asylum,
and that "freedom of movement" is their right. Forgetting that freedom of movement means the right to leave one's country or move around in its borders, not entering another.
3. They said asylum is something they dont want, they just want to have coffee in Tallinn and they have nothing to do with the war.
4. Now all of the sudden they want asylum because they are against the war. Actually, thats not even true, there are hardly any that have actually asked for it.
5. Estonia has said that the mobilisation in Russia does not give every Russian male theoretically under threat of being mobilised a legal ground to get asylum.
6. This is exactly what the EU law says. A legal ground for getting asylum is a proven danger of being punished for refusing and order to fight in a conflict.
7. That means, we will consider an asylum applications from Russians who have received mobilisation orders and not followed them. Not from all 25 million who are of mobilisation age.
8. Again, just to say that I want asylum because I might be drafted is not a legal ground to get asylum in the EU.
9. However, there might well be other grounds for not-drafted Russians to get asylum, like track record of anti-regime activity, proven expression of democratic positions etc.
10. All these applications, once they start to come in, will be reviewed case by case under EU and Estonian law and with no prejudice.
11. So no, there is no blockage of accepting asylum application from Russians. Whta there isn't is a blanco acceptance of the 25 million.
12. Estonia, by the way, already has about 20 000 residents with Russian citizenship that theoretically can be drafted by Putin's military.
13. We have communicated with them and keep communicating. Our policy is this: Estonia does not encourage our residents to answer the draft.
14. We will not stop anyone to follow the orders but participation in a crime against peace is a criminal offense under Estonian law.
15. An Estonian resident joining the Russian military in war against Ukraine will lose the residency permit and will be banned from the EU. There is no return for those who go.
16. However, if a Russian living in Estonia recieves a mobilisation order from Russia and decides not to go, Estonia gives him all legal protection and will not let Russia to force anyone.
17. All legal residents with Russian citizenship in Estonia have the constitutional protection and same rights as all other residents.
18. Obviously no one will be prosecuted nor will Russia have any jurisdiction to prosecute anyone in Estonia for not following their illegal mobisliasation.
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