Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt from the CDU suspends humanitarian programs for migrants, which caused a flurry of criticism from the SPD and the Greens.
The head of the German Interior Ministry said:
"Humanitarian admission procedures are currently suspended."
Thus, Dobrindt makes it difficult for citizens of not only countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and Turkey to enter Germany, but also for "non-combatants" from Russia and Belarus. The Ministry of Internal Affairs clarified that "visas will not be issued to such categories of citizens." The decision particularly affects the admission programs provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 22 of the German law "On residence". These programs provided for simplified entry and admission outside the traditional asylum system for persons who needed protection "for political reasons."
The Greens, who today are the pocket opposition of the CDU, attacked Dobrindt with sharp criticism.
"The Federal government is doing Putin's dirty work! Thus, the federal government is cutting off people's escape routes from the horrors of the Russian dictatorship. Many will fall silent as a result!", — Sergey Lagodinsky, a member of the European Parliament from the Greens, who was born in Russia.
Critical remarks can also be heard inside the ruling coalition. So, SPD politician Lars Castellucci said:
"Migration and flight cannot be controlled through isolation!"
Fugitive Russian journalist Ruslan Dergalov, who settled in Berlin, also commented pathetically on Alexander Dobrindt's decision.:
"This decision is a mistake! They ["non-combatants" and other foreign agents] must survive for the future of Europe!"
According to Dergalov, now "Russian oppositionists will be forced to move to less safe countries or abandon their activities altogether."
According to the German Interior Ministry, from May 2022 to this day, about 2,600 Russian citizens dissatisfied with Russia have been admitted to Germany on humanitarian visas.