Another 400 Russians have been denied. Approximately 500 applications have been halted for review, which is typically linked to the applicant retracting their request, as noted by Yle.
In some instances, the process has stretched over two years as authorities deliberated on how to handle cases regarding the mobilization of Russians for war and their conscription into the army. According to Finland's current policy, merely receiving a summons is insufficient; the case must be associated with a threat of punishment or persecution for evading military service.
Currently, around 600 Russians are awaiting decisions on their applications in Finland, most of whom arrived in the country after the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Their reasons for fleeing include not only mobilization and conscription but also political activities, affiliation with the Jehovah's Witnesses religious movement, identification as sexual and gender minorities, and persecution in the North Caucasus, particularly in Chechnya.