A Russian national who received a letter of conscription to the Russian army, left his country on a one-year visa to Bulgaria and applied for asylum there.

The State Agency for Refugees rejected his request on 19 July 2022 and also refused humanitarian status. The applicant appealed against the decision and the Administrative Court of Sofia rejected his appeal on 9 December 2022. The applicant appealed in cassation before the Supreme Administrative Court.

The Supreme Administrative Court rejected his appeal. It held that the existence of persecution due to one's race, religion, nationality, belonging to a specific social group or due to political opinion and/or conviction in one's country of origin was not proven. The court considered that the applicant did not prove that he had participated in anti-government protests. It further argued that there was no reason to believe that the official authorities in the Russian Federation were carrying out massive repression against citizens who protested against the president’s policy and that there was no particular danger of being detained and repressed if he returned to his country of origin. The court also added that there were no grounds for application of the principle of refugee sur place.