Russia has the highest number of citizens seeking political asylum abroad, \"Novye Izvestiya\" reported on 8 June, citing data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. According to the daily, 7,508 Russian citizens applied for political asylum abroad during the first quarter of this year. Most were former residents of Chechnya, according the United Nations. Asylum applications from Russians fell by 26 percent during the past six months, but Russia remains the country with the highest number of asylum seekers. (RFE/RL)