Russian family denied asylum in Finland fear reprisals for pro-Ukraine activism

<p>Nikita and Olga Belov say they will be persecuted on return to Moscow but are yet to convince Finnish authorities</p><p>A Russian family faces deportation from Finland after repeatedly being denied asylum – despite the threat of arrest, imprisonment and potential torture for their pro-Ukrainian activism.</p><p>Nikita and Olga Belov fled their homeland in 2022 after attracting the attention of Russian authorities – including military summons, threatening messages and attempts to locate them – after expressing opposition to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/25/nobody-believed-that-putin-would-invade-ukraine-four-years-on-has-europe-learned-from-the-failures-of-2022">full-scale invasion of Ukraine</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/09/russian-family-finland-reprisals-pro-ukraine-activism">Continue reading...</a>