Anti-war activists Olga and Nikita Belov, who left for Finland after the war in Ukraine began, were denied asylum and now face deportation to Russia. This was reported by «Mediazona» and «Ekho» .
The Belovs, a mother and son, unsuccessfully tried to appeal the deportation decision. On the eve of the hearing, they were summoned to the police, where they were informed that the deportation process had begun, after which they were taken into custody. A court hearing on the preventive measure is scheduled for tomorrow.
As Finnish media wrote , the Russians helped Ukrainian refugees and worked with the volunteer humanitarian center FinEst. In addition, they organized informational pickets and raised funds, including for first-aid kits for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other army needs.
Finnish authorities считают, that the Belovs’ activities in support of Ukraine were “small-scale.” According to the migration service, this does not make them targets of special interest for the Russian authorities and “does not create a real risk of a serious violation of human rights upon return.”
Their lawyers disagree with that assessment and note that collecting financial and material aid for the Ukrainian army and refugees is unambiguously treated by Russia as a criminal offense. “Given that the Belovs’ activities have been documented by the Finnish press, they are already priority targets for the Russian security services,” said Gleb Gerber, head of Ilya Yashin’s Public Reception Office.
In Russia, Olga worked as a nurse, and Nikita was an engineer at a plant that began carrying out military orders. After learning this, he refused to continue working and faced threats and pressure, after which the Belovs decided to leave Russia.