Switzerland Today

Hello from Bern,

In today’s briefing: a look at whether or not Russian men fleeing Putin’s war machine could get asylum in Switzerland. And please do take a look at our series, published today, interviewing five of the most prominent Russian opposition figures.

© Keystone / Gaetan Bally

In the news: innovation ranking, birds shrinking, chocolate ruling.

• Switzerland is the most innovative country in the world, ahead of the US and Sweden, said the World Intellectual Property Organization today. It’s the 12th year in a row that Switzerland has topped the Global Innovation Index, which looks at dozens of indicators in 132 countries. The report examines areas like patents, advanced technology and the complexity of production and exports.
• While the number of birds is declining rapidly worldwide, the situation in Switzerland is even more striking, a report by Birdlife International has found. Some 40% of Switzerland’s 205 native breeding bird species are on the red list of endangered or threatened types – more than twice as many as internationally. The expansion of agricultural land, and the use of chemicals in farming, is one major cause.
• Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli’s foil-wrapped chocolate bunnies deserve protection from copycat products, Switzerland’s highest court ruled today. It ordered German discounter Lidl to stop selling a similar product in Switzerland and to destroy its remaining stock. Swiss premium chocolate maker Lindt has fought many court battles over the years to protect one of its best-selling products.

Keystone / Arkady Budnitsky

Russian deserters: between a rock and a hard place

Russian men who want no part of the war in Ukraine are in a tricky spot. After Moscow announced last week the partial mobilisation of 300,000 reservists, potential recruits are fleeing in their thousands; some 66,000 Russians crossed into the Schengen area the week after the announcement, up 30% on the previous week, the NZZ writesExternal link. But what should Europe do with them? Switzerland – like other EU countries – tightened visa rules for Russians earlier this month; since then, many of the border states with Russia (including Finland today) have shut the door completely to Russian tourists. But what’s the situation for those fleeing the fight? Can they claim political refuge?

Swiss law states that desertion or opposition to military service is not by itself a reason to be granted asylum. However, depending on the severity of the punishment for desertion, it could be deemed a form of political discrimination, professor Alberto Achermann told SRF this week. “If the reports are accurate that Russian men [who resist mobilisation] face prison time of up to 15 years, this signals that the Russian state sees these people as political enemies,” Achermann said. This could be grounds for an asylum claim. As for the State Secretariat for Migration, it told SWI swissinfo.ch that it processes each claim individually. And to date, it said, there was “no sign” of any drastic rise in the numbers of Russian asylum requests – of which just 128 have been made so far this year.

© Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Castle in the Emmental valley kitted out for disaster.

Beyond Russian deserters and rising prices, winter blackouts are still very much at the top of the Swiss worry list. But while the population frets about turning off tumble-dryers, and supermarkets prepare to drop temperatures to a chilly 19°C, one professor – and ex-government crisis manager – has taken things further. SRF reportsExternal link that “lord of the manor” Matthias Steinmann is prepared for a blackout, a pandemic, and even nuclear fallout. His country castle near Bern has been kitted out with 100,000 litres of heating oil, a warm-water system, and lead-plated sheets in case of atomic meltdown. But don’t call him a prepper! He is a realist, Steinmann says: “what I do isn’t crazy; what’s crazy is that others don’t do it”. But while the 80-year-old is prepared to keep out the worst of catastrophes, he’s not so good at keeping out journalists: as well as SRF, he was also visited by local TV station Tele Bärn and regional newspaper Der Bund over the summer.