SOCIETY
Russians Unwelcome
July 16, 2024
Anastasia Burakova
Lawyer, Founder of The Ark project
Lawyer Anastasia Burakova talks about some of the obstacles, particularly when crossing borders, faced by Russian citizens fleeing their country due to the war in Ukraine and trying to find refuge in other countries.
The original text in Russian was published in Republic. A shortened version is published here with their permission.
Olga Romanova, head of Russia Behind Bars, a non-governmental organization providing legal and humanitarian assistance to those imprisoned or under investigation. Source: Wiki Commons
This week, Russian journalist Andrey Malgin was denied entrance into Poland, despite having a permanent residence permit to live in Italy. Malgin posted on his Facebook that he was on a cruise with his family, which included an excursion to Gdansk. But they never made it to shore—border guards asked them to fill out several forms and then denied them entry.
Head of Russia Behind Bars Olga Romanova shared a similar experience. In May, she was also denied entrance when crossing into Poland from Ukraine.
Similar cases have regularly occurred with Russians in various countries since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The main issue with regulations by governments and private companies that have emerged over the past two and a half years is how chaotically they are enforced.
You can never be certain that you will get on your flight, even if you have all the necessary documents. You can never be certain that you will be able to enter the country where you fled from persecution by Russian security forces, and will not instead receive a paper stating that “you have been denied entry for other reasons.”
You don’t know if your bank card will work tomorrow.
The outflow of immigrants over the past two and a half years since the outbreak of war has still not slowed.
Head of Russia Behind Bars Olga Romanova shared a similar experience. In May, she was also denied entrance when crossing into Poland from Ukraine.
Similar cases have regularly occurred with Russians in various countries since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The main issue with regulations by governments and private companies that have emerged over the past two and a half years is how chaotically they are enforced.
You can never be certain that you will get on your flight, even if you have all the necessary documents. You can never be certain that you will be able to enter the country where you fled from persecution by Russian security forces, and will not instead receive a paper stating that “you have been denied entry for other reasons.”
You don’t know if your bank card will work tomorrow.
The outflow of immigrants over the past two and a half years since the outbreak of war has still not slowed.
“Few Russians who have fled abroad can say with certainty that the country where they are currently located will be home for the next few years.”
At the same time, these sudden restrictions are not always associated with government policy—the decisions are often being made by private companies: airlines, banks, IT services. Therefore, even people who closely monitor the changing official regulations may find themselves in an unexpected predicament.
“We had no such passenger”
After February 24, 2022, the countries with visa-free regimes for Russia became the first refuges for anti-war immigrants. Many moved further along, and did not always choose the long path of legalization in safe countries—for example, immediately after the start of the war, there were practically no humanitarian visa programs anywhere, except for Lithuania, which previously systematically accepted dissidents.
Since the war was preceded by the two years of pandemic, the Schengen visas of most Russian citizens had expired. Some have chosen to seek asylum in European countries or the United States via the Mexican border.
Airline companies receive a fine for each passenger who disembarks and requests asylum at a transit point, or does not have the valid documents for entry at their destination. Fines start at $1000 USD, and in certain countries can reach up to $10,000 USD. The airline may also be responsible for other costs associated with the passenger.
Every passenger has become the subject of intense scrutiny. If there is a suspicion that a person is planning to seek asylum, airlines refuse to let them board. Passengers of Turkish Airlines, LOT and other airlines have encountered this, even those who followed all the formal rules and had the necessary documents.
It is possible to challenge these denials, but not everyone is ready to bear the costs of lawyers in another country that exceed the cost of the ticket. LOT Airlines reported that these passengers did not show up for their flight, without issuing any documents. This makes it almost impossible to submit an appeal and provide any proof.
Combating this practice is difficult. The governing bodies in the countries where airlines are registered simply shrug their shoulders: “They’re private companies, go to the courts.”
“You are a threat to national security”
Those who remain in visa-free countries, in addition to the possibility of extradition requests from Russia, also face the risk that one day they will not be able to enter the country because of a vaguely worded refusal.
“We had no such passenger”
After February 24, 2022, the countries with visa-free regimes for Russia became the first refuges for anti-war immigrants. Many moved further along, and did not always choose the long path of legalization in safe countries—for example, immediately after the start of the war, there were practically no humanitarian visa programs anywhere, except for Lithuania, which previously systematically accepted dissidents.
Since the war was preceded by the two years of pandemic, the Schengen visas of most Russian citizens had expired. Some have chosen to seek asylum in European countries or the United States via the Mexican border.
Airline companies receive a fine for each passenger who disembarks and requests asylum at a transit point, or does not have the valid documents for entry at their destination. Fines start at $1000 USD, and in certain countries can reach up to $10,000 USD. The airline may also be responsible for other costs associated with the passenger.
Every passenger has become the subject of intense scrutiny. If there is a suspicion that a person is planning to seek asylum, airlines refuse to let them board. Passengers of Turkish Airlines, LOT and other airlines have encountered this, even those who followed all the formal rules and had the necessary documents.
It is possible to challenge these denials, but not everyone is ready to bear the costs of lawyers in another country that exceed the cost of the ticket. LOT Airlines reported that these passengers did not show up for their flight, without issuing any documents. This makes it almost impossible to submit an appeal and provide any proof.
Combating this practice is difficult. The governing bodies in the countries where airlines are registered simply shrug their shoulders: “They’re private companies, go to the courts.”
“You are a threat to national security”
Those who remain in visa-free countries, in addition to the possibility of extradition requests from Russia, also face the risk that one day they will not be able to enter the country because of a vaguely worded refusal.
“In Serbia, there is a clear attitude shift towards the ‘undesirability’ of Russians who have publicly declared their anti-war stance and who are too active in the country.”
Panoramic view of Belgrade. Source: Wiki Commons
In the past two years, at least seven people have been unable to enter Serbia. All of them received a refusal with the phrase “poses a threat to national security.”
Among these instances was the denial of entry to the founder of the Russian Democratic Society in Serbia, the second is the denial of a working residence permit to a Russian independent municipal deputy living in Belgrade. Aside from that, a permanent residence that had already been issued was rescinded for Evgeniy Irzhansky, a concert organizer who was planning events with opposition Russian musicians and public figures. They were all banned from entering Serbia for a year.
The pressure started coming down on activists immediately after the head of the Serbian Information Security Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, was added to the US sanctions list. Vulin organized the wiretapping of a seminar of Russian municipal deputies in Belgrade in 2021, and also, according to Serbian media, passed along the wiretapping data to Patrushev during a visit to Moscow.
In summer 2023, former DOXA journalist Natasha Tyshkevich, who had been persecuted in Russia, was denied entry to Serbia. She tried to enter with a “gray passport” issued by Germany (her Russian passport had previously been confiscated from her by security forces). According to the activist, she was held in a deportation cell at Belgrade airport for about 40 hours.
The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to journalists’ inquiries about why Tyshkevich was denied entry into the country. However, the official rules are simple: a refugee travel document allows entry into Schengen countries by default, for other countries you need to request permission in advance. In this case, border guards are obliged to put the passenger on a flight to the country from which he arrived—even if the next flight is no time soon.
The situation crossing the Georgian border is even worse. According to the director of the Free Russia Foundation in the South Caucasus, Yegor Kuroptev, all the way back in 2022, the border service began turning away dozens of Russian citizens every day, regardless of their documents and profession. Vot Tak journalists calculated that by April 2024, at least 36 Russian activists, politicians and media workers had been denied entry into Georgia.
Contrary to popular belief, entry bans affect more than just independent journalists, anti-war activists and human rights activists. Ark’s legal bot often receives messages from Russians who have not publicly stated their political position, but, like Russian oppositionists, Georgia has issued them a refusal “for other reasons.”
Some disputes in the courts have not led to success: the reasons why entry was denied cannot be declassified for reasons of “national security.”
Among these instances was the denial of entry to the founder of the Russian Democratic Society in Serbia, the second is the denial of a working residence permit to a Russian independent municipal deputy living in Belgrade. Aside from that, a permanent residence that had already been issued was rescinded for Evgeniy Irzhansky, a concert organizer who was planning events with opposition Russian musicians and public figures. They were all banned from entering Serbia for a year.
The pressure started coming down on activists immediately after the head of the Serbian Information Security Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, was added to the US sanctions list. Vulin organized the wiretapping of a seminar of Russian municipal deputies in Belgrade in 2021, and also, according to Serbian media, passed along the wiretapping data to Patrushev during a visit to Moscow.
In summer 2023, former DOXA journalist Natasha Tyshkevich, who had been persecuted in Russia, was denied entry to Serbia. She tried to enter with a “gray passport” issued by Germany (her Russian passport had previously been confiscated from her by security forces). According to the activist, she was held in a deportation cell at Belgrade airport for about 40 hours.
The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to journalists’ inquiries about why Tyshkevich was denied entry into the country. However, the official rules are simple: a refugee travel document allows entry into Schengen countries by default, for other countries you need to request permission in advance. In this case, border guards are obliged to put the passenger on a flight to the country from which he arrived—even if the next flight is no time soon.
The situation crossing the Georgian border is even worse. According to the director of the Free Russia Foundation in the South Caucasus, Yegor Kuroptev, all the way back in 2022, the border service began turning away dozens of Russian citizens every day, regardless of their documents and profession. Vot Tak journalists calculated that by April 2024, at least 36 Russian activists, politicians and media workers had been denied entry into Georgia.
Contrary to popular belief, entry bans affect more than just independent journalists, anti-war activists and human rights activists. Ark’s legal bot often receives messages from Russians who have not publicly stated their political position, but, like Russian oppositionists, Georgia has issued them a refusal “for other reasons.”
Some disputes in the courts have not led to success: the reasons why entry was denied cannot be declassified for reasons of “national security.”
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