WASHINGTON -- US asylum applications from Russian nationals have jumped 15 percent for the second straight year, a rise that asylum seekers and attorneys attribute to Russians fleeing their homeland due to fears of persecution and antigay violence.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Russian asylum seekers to US spike in wake of antigay law
A view of the White House July 27, 2014 in Washington, DC. The United States received 969 new asylum applications from Russian nationals in the 2014 fiscal year ending Sept. 30, up from 837 the previous year and a 34 percent increase compared to 2012, according US Department of Homeland Security statistics obtained by RFE/RL.
