President Vladimir Putin as a refugee according to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees?

Abstract

The paper presents reflections on the legal status of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, after the end of the military conflict in Ukraine in the context of international refugee law. In the first part, the paper discusses the international law on the issue of the legal status of refugees at the international and European level. The paper then highlights the limitations of the application of the international law refugee status, taking into account the relevant global case law and international legal scholarship. The authors seek to apply the above insights to the possible future status of President Vladimir Putin in the event that he is ousted as President of the Russian Federation and, as a refugee, seeks protection through the granting of refugee status. Such a status is subjected to international law analysis through the relevant international refugee and asylum law.