Draft-dodgers from Russia have no place in Germany – Bundestag member Kiesewetter

The Bundestag member from the opposition Christian Democratic Union party said this in an interview with DW.

The German politician insists that a visa ban for Russians is necessary, noting that the majority of the Russian population supports the aggressive war against Ukraine, and Putin uses visa opportunities to exert influence and so that Russian oligarchs can support him outside the country. 

“That is why it is so important to conduct very strict checks in each individual case and to stop the practice of issuing visas on a case-by-case basis. Russia is in a state of war with the global legal order. The population of Russia, especially Russians, overwhelmingly support this terrible war. Therefore, it is unacceptable to show tolerance in this regard,” Kiesewetter said. 

Young Russians of conscription age already face difficulties when they want to visit family or friends in Germany, as the German embassy refuses to grant them visas. But the Bundestag member is convinced that this decision is absolutely correct.

“Germany is clearly on the side of Ukraine, and we do not want any conflicts to arise within our country. Let those Russians, who want asylum, seek it in countries that are on Russia's side, not in the countries of the 'Tallinn Initiative' (countries that have confirmed their determination to support Ukraine - Ed.) or in countries that, together with Germany and France, are providing massive assistance to Ukraine. We do not want to aggravate our domestic political situation. In addition, we need a clear signal to the Russian population that such an attitude towards Ukraine and the global legal order is unacceptable, and that the right to asylum cannot be applied in this case,” the German politician emphasized. 

When asked if in such a way Germany closes the door to those Russians who actively oppose the Putin regime, the politician said that Germany is not the only country to seek asylum.

“They are provided with sufficient support in Georgia, Turkey, as well as in Finland, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It should be borne in mind that, apart from Poland, Germany has taken in the largest number of refugees from Ukraine – more than a million. We are ready to accept more. And we do not want the aggressiveness that is already partially felt to spread to other segments of society,” Roderich Kiesewetter said. 

In addition, he noted that it is particularly appalling that Russia's ethnic minorities are taking part in the war against Ukraine, while residents of St. Petersburg and Moscow have long dodged military draft.

“We want to show Russians, especially ethnic Russians, that this is also a fascist war, ethnically humiliating to national minorities in Russia itself, who are paying the highest price in this terrible war with their blood,” the member of Bundestag added. 

Although Ukraine and its allies benefit from every Russian citizen who did not go to war and avoided mobilization, according to Kiesewetter, it is important to encourage these young people to unite for civil resistance rather than leave their compatriots to fend for themselves.

“What kind of a civic position is it when you evade conscription and at the same time the opportunity to organize resistance in Russia itself and simply emigrate comfortably to the West? And even worse, time and again, you see the wives of Russian oligarchs flaunting the shopping streets of Berlin and Paris, spending money taken from the poor Russian population in fashionable boutiques while their husbands are responsible for the war against Ukraine. I repeat. A clear message needs to be sent to moderate Russians to make it clear that they have a different task than leaving the country. By doing so, they are only making Putin's job easier,” he concluded.