Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court has suspended a deportation order against Roman Golikov, an anti-war activist who had been denied asylum and was facing return to Russia. Svetlana Utkina, a former municipal deputy from St. Petersburg now living in Finland, reported the development to TV Rain on May 26.
Golikov was scheduled for deportation on May 28. He has since been released from custody, his friend Valery Ivanov told Mediazona.
Golikov arrived in Finland as a tourist one week before Russia announced mobilization in September 2022. After mobilization began, he applied for asylum. The court found that his application contained credible facts but ruled they were insufficient to justify granting asylum.
While in Finland, Golikov participated in anti-war demonstrations. In Russia, he had joined rallies in support of independent candidates running for the Moscow City Duma in 2019, spoken out against the war, and donated to the Anti-Corruption Foundation and Meduza, according to the BBC.
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