Russian Interior Ministry proposes granting asylum to people who can't 'uphold traditional family values' in home country or who face 'Russophobia'

Russia’s Interior Ministry has drafted a bill to regulate how foreigners and stateless individuals can seek asylum in the country, according to the Russian news outlet RBC.

The draft law lays out four categories of protection: refugee status and temporary asylum — both already provided under current legislation — along with political asylum and a newly proposed status called temporary protection.

The criteria for refugee status remain the same, requiring a “well-founded fear” of persecution in one’s home country based on “race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.”

Under existing law, temporary asylum can be granted to individuals who meet the criteria for refugee status or, for “humanitarian reasons,” to those who cannot be deported from Russia. The new bill proposes broadening these grounds to include an inability to uphold “traditional family values and the priority of raising children in the family,” as defined by Russia, as well as “concerns related to Russophobia,” RBC reports. Temporary asylum would also be available to those facing torture or “other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment” in the context of armed conflict.

The bill also sets out provisions for political asylum, which could be granted to individuals persecuted for their political beliefs or public activities — provided those views do not contradict the Russian Constitution. The president would determine the application procedure for this form of protection.

Temporary protection status is designed for situations involving the “emergency mass arrival of people in Russia due to armed conflict,” which must be officially recognized by the government.

RBC adds that applications for any form of protection must be submitted from within Russia and cannot be filed electronically. The bill does not guarantee housing from the state’s temporary settlement fund for individuals granted refugee status, though accommodation in Interior Ministry-run reception centers would remain available.