Finland halts deportation of Russian family who ‘risked everything’ to oppose Ukraine invasion

A Russian family who were on the brink of being deported from Finland after repeatedly being denied asylum – despite the threat of arrest, imprisonment and torture for their pro-Ukrainian activism – have won a court appeal and will have their case reconsidered.Nikita Belov and his mother, Olga Belov, fled their homeland for Finland in 2022 after attracting the attention of Russian authorities – including a military summons, threatening messages and attempts to locate them – for expressing opposition to the Ukraine" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="133895" data-entity-type="event">full-scale invasion of Ukraine.They were due to be deported from Finland within weeks after the Finnish immigration service said they faced “no real risk” if they returned to Russia. In April they were temporarily detained by authorities pending deportation.The administrative court has quashed the decision, citing new evidence, including media coverage in Finnish, Russian and internationally, and referred the case back to the immigration service for fresh consideration.The Belovs’ case has gained political traction in neighbouring Norway. Last week politicians from Norway’s Green party tried to stage an intervention, proposing to the government that if the Belovs’ deportation went through, Norway should offer them asylum instead.The political activist and Putin critic Bill Browder, who is the head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, has said the case is “a defining test of Europe’s commitment to protecting those who have risked everything to oppose Putin’s war”.Nikita, 25, left his engineering job at a research institute in Moscow specialising in metallurgical technologies after finding out the work he was doing was connected to the Russian war effort.Since their arrival in Finland, Nikita and Olga, 55, a nurse anaesthetist, have been vocal supporters of Ukraine, sending humanitarian aid, including to the Ukrainian armed forces.Olga said the court’s decision marked the first positive news they had received in four years but that it was overshadowed by “constant uncertainty and fear of deportation”.She added: “My health has deteriorated over these four years, and we still have to wait for a final decision. This is very stressful, and nobody knows how long it will take. This experience has already left a lasting mark on our lives, and we will have to cope with the consequences. No matter what, I’d like to thank everybody who helps us, supports us, and literally saves us from death.”Nikita said: “Previously, when I imagined my reaction to a positive decision, I was sure it would be a very emotional moment. But actually, I felt nothing. It’s weird, but now it seems to me that I’m already mentally exhausted. We still have to wait for a final decision.”Their lawyer, who requested not to be named for security reasons, hopes they will be granted asylum soon. “The court has overturned the negative asylum decision as the clients have provided so much new evidence on them being profiled as being at risk of persecution,” they said. “The international attention and vast media coverage on the case and whether it puts them at risk has to be assessed accurately by the Finnish immigration service.”Browder, whose friend and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died at the hands of Putin’s regime, said the latest decision was an “important victory for Nikita and Olga, but it should never have got this far”.He added: “Finland is on the frontline of defending Europe against Putin’s aggression. It would be completely perverse for it to send two people who have stood publicly against that aggression straight back into Putin’s hands. I hope the Finnish authorities will now grant Nikita and Olga the protection they deserve.”Antti Lehtinen, the director of the department for international protection at the Finnish immigration service, said he was unable to comment on individual cases, but added: “Only approximately 5% of all decisions are returned for reconsideration each year. The vast majority of these cases are due to the applicant presenting new information about their situation during the judicial proceedings.“The asylum decisions of the Finnish immigration service therefore correspond well with national legal practice and are also in line with the average decision-making practices of EU member states.”