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

Mother and son Olga and Nikita Belov say they were facing jail and potential torture after asylum case was rejected 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 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 Belovs’ case has gained political traction in neighbouring Norway.

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