Chechens continue to lead as the primary group seeking asylum in Germany, despite a significant decrease in successful cases. A recent government report, released on January 13th in response to inquiries from the German Parliament’s ‘The Left’ faction, highlighted this trend. The data reveals a decline from 21.1% of ethnic Chechens receiving asylum in 2023 to just 3.9% by November 2025.
The investigation, spanning applications since 2021, identified Chechens as the largest ethnic group seeking protection, followed by Russians. However, the likelihood of receiving asylum has diminished for this group and several others from the North Caucasus, including Ingush, Avars, Kumyks, Dargins, Kabardians, Circassians, Ossetians, Lezgins, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Georgians. All ethnicity data relies on voluntary self-identification.
Successful applications for ethnic Russians also decreased substantially, falling from 44.1% in 2023 to 21.6% in 2025. The flow of asylum seekers includes a considerable number of women and minors alongside men aged 18 to 45. Many unsuccessful applications are now transferred to other EU countries under the Dublin system, with 310 Russian nationals relocated during January–November 2025, including 225 Chechens.
Furthermore, 3,773 individuals received state-assigned support to voluntarily return to Russia from 2021, utilizing routes through Georgia and Serbia. The report emphasized the deteriorating human rights situation in Russia, citing concerns about civil society repression, the closure of Memorial, and reports of abuse. The situation in Chechnya, particularly, was noted with accounts of abductions and disappearances, and the disproportionate exposure of minority groups to military recruitment.
The government acknowledged the challenges, stating that the human rights situation had “deteriorated drastically.”
Topics: #chechens #asylum #germany
