In the spring of 2022, the young woman from Siberia managed to escape from Russia to Austria following taking part in social media peace protests immediately following the start of the invasion of Ukraine. As is well known, in Russia it is already forbidden to use the word “war” at all. Before that, she and her father had also attended events organized by the opposition leader Navalny.
In Upper Austria she applied for asylum in order to get protection here. The formal legal problem so far: the programmer, who is studying artificial intelligence at the Linz JKU, entered the EU on an Italian visa. At the end of November, Daria was threatened with deportation to Italy, and she was suddenly taken into “administrative custody”.
This led to protests at the JKU once morest the official “transfer” of the Russian, and JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas also criticized the actions of the authorities. Then things happened quickly, the 21-year-old was promptly released, and since then she has not been deported to Italy; also for health reasons, because Daria was mentally unwell.
The six-month period has now finally passed, says the Steyr lawyer Julia Kolda, who is providing legal support to the asylum seeker. The result: “My client has been admitted to the asylum procedure.” In other words, Austria must decide whether the Russian has a right to asylum. It is not foreseeable when the asylum authority will make a decision in the first instance.
“I am grateful to Austria,” says the young Russian. She especially thanks the Lions Club Gallneukirchen and the MORE project of the JKU and Borealis, which supports refugee students, for their support. In the past semester she achieved 37 ECTS points. In addition, she is expanding her knowledge of German in language courses. The success of her studies is also thanks to her helpers, says Daria. “Because I finally have a quiet place to study and rest.”
The 21-year-old who fled is not getting any good news from Russia: “The situation has deteriorated massively. The authorities want to know where I am. I worry regarding the safety of my family. In fact, we no longer have freedom of speech in Russia and the authorities are also considering how to sanction those who have left the country.”
