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The number of Russian citizens with valid residence permits in EU countries rose from 772,000 at the end of 2021 to 877,000 at the end of 2025, according to figures reported by Volna from Eurostat data. Spain recorded the largest increase, while Latvia, Estonia and Czechia saw declines.
The number of Russian citizens holding valid residence permits in EU countries rose by nearly 105,000, or 14%, between the end of 2021 and the end of 2025, according to figures reported by the Volna project citing Eurostat data. Spain recorded the biggest increase, while permit-holder numbers fell in Latvia, Estonia and Czechia.
The total increased from 772,000 at the end of 2021 to 877,000 at the end of 2025. The figures include Russian citizens with temporary or permanent residence permits. They show the number of valid permits at those points in time, rather than the number of people who moved during the entire period.
At the end of 2025, Germany had the largest total, with 218,000 Russian citizens holding permits. Spain followed with 117,000, then Estonia with 78,000 and France with 67,000. The report also listed Serbia at 63,000, though Serbia is not an EU member and should not be counted in the EU-wide total.
Spain’s total rose by 44,000, or 61%, over the four years. Cyprus had the second-largest increase by number, adding 27,000 permit holders, followed by France, which added 14,000. The largest declines were in Latvia, down 15,000, Estonia, down 9,000, and Czechia, down 8,000.
Spain Leads the Permit Increase
The rise shows that the number of Russian citizens holding valid residence permits across the EU was higher at the end of 2025 than before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Spain’s increase stands out both in absolute terms and as a share of its earlier total: the reported 44,000 additional permits represented a 61% rise over the four-year period.
The country-level changes also show that the overall EU increase was not evenly distributed. Germany had the largest Russian permit-holder population in 2025, while Spain had the sharpest growth. At the same time, declines in Latvia, Estonia and Czechia indicate that permit totals moved in different directions across countries. The figures alone do not explain the reasons for those changes.
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Permit Totals Since 2021
The report draws on Eurostat figures cited by the Volna project and compares permit-holder totals at the end of 2021 and the end of 2025. It describes a sharp rise in the number of Russian citizens settled in the EU in 2022 and 2023, followed by a period when the total remained largely stable.
A residence permit count is a measure of valid permits at a given time. It does not, by itself, show how many people arrived, left, changed legal status or held permits in more than one country over the full period. The reported figures also do not establish why the totals changed in any particular country.
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What Permit Counts Cannot Explain
The figures show changes in valid permit totals but do not identify the reasons behind them. The supplied report does not break down the totals by permit type, explain how renewals or changes in legal status affected the counts, or provide annual country-level figures for the entire period.
It is also not clear from the reported summary how the figures treat people who moved between EU countries during the period. The overall count is a snapshot of permit holders and should not be read as a direct measure of net migration or as a count of everyone who left Russia.
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Further Country Data Needed
The report provides end-of-period totals and identifies the largest increases and decreases. More detailed Eurostat tables, including annual figures and breakdowns by permit type, would help show when the shifts occurred and how the composition of permit holders changed. The source material does not announce a further release or give a date for additional analysis.
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Key Questions
How many Russian citizens held EU residence permits at the end of 2025?
About 877,000, according to figures reported by Volna citing Eurostat data.
How much did the total rise since the end of 2021?
The total increased from 772,000 to 877,000, a rise of nearly 105,000, or 14%, over four years.
Which country had the biggest increase?
Spain recorded the largest increase: 44,000 more Russian citizens held residence permits there, a reported 61% rise from the end of 2021 to the end of 2025.
Where did the number of permit holders fall most?
The largest reported declines were in Latvia, down 15,000; Estonia, down 9,000; and Czechia, down 8,000.
Do the figures show why permit totals changed?
No. The reported data give permit-holder totals and changes, but do not establish why numbers rose or fell in individual countries.
Source: rss
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