Finland grants asylum to anti-war Russians Olga and Nikita Belov, who had been facing deportation

Finland has granted asylum to anti-war Russians Olga and Nikita Belov, who had been facing deportation

Russians Olga and Nikita Belov have received asylum in Finland, former St. Petersburg municipal deputy Svetlana Utkina told Dozhd. This spring, the country’s authorities had been preparing to deport the mother and son to Russia.

The Belov family left Russia after the start of the full-scale war. Nikita Belov said he decided to leave the country after refusing to take part in an “unnamed secret project” at the Bardin Central Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy. According to him, management insisted the project was not connected to the war, but it later turned out that this was not the case.

In Finland, the Belovs helped Ukrainian refugees through the volunteer organization FinEst Volunteers. In spring 2026, they were summoned to the police, where they were informed of their deportation. In August, a court ordered the case to be reconsidered. The Belovs’ lawyer said the family had provided “a great deal of new evidence” of possible persecution in Russia.

@meduzalive