There are currently about 3000 Russians (including minor family members) living in Germany who have been granted a humanitarian visa under paragraph 22.2. The visa is granted to people whose safety in their home country is at risk and who have experience of cooperation with German organizations and institutions. Paragraph 22.2 was extended to Russian citizens from mid–2022 due to the outbreak of war in Ukraine and subsequent repression in Russia for any anti-war actions and speech.
This quantitative study is currently the most detailed and in-depth analysis of this group; it was conducted on a sample of 336 respondents and the questionnaire contains 46 questions. The results provide a detailed socio-demographic description of the group, patterns of integration in Germany (e.g., degree of German language learning and job search), participation in socio-political activism in Germany, and maintenance of Russia-oriented activism.
In general, the authors conclude the portrait of a Russian with a visa according to paragraph 22.2—a young or middle-aged person with higher education, mostly from the capital cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg), working in the fields of science and education, non-profit organizations, media and PR, seeking to learn German and integrate into the new society. At the same time, a significant part of the group continues to be engaged in socio-political activism aimed at Russia, which also indicates a desire to return home in case of positive political changes. However the research shows us that with the length of staying in Germany these ties with Russia are becoming weaker.
The research was conducted by the teams of Horizons Exilhilfe and Academic Bridges Lab with the support of Dialogue Office for Civil Society Cooperation. Researchers:
Tatiana Kasimova, a Master's degree holder in Sociology, a member of the "Horizons" team, researcher of the Academic Bridges Lab
Vladimir Kozlov, Ph.D. in Economics, specialist in statistical analysis, co-founder of the Academic Bridges Lab
Ekaterina Goriachenko, Ph.D. in Philosophy, specialist in humanities research, co-founder of the Academic Bridges Lab
Alexander Kukalev, Ph.D. in Biology, data scientist, co-founder of the Academic Bridges Lab