Finnish court reopens asylum case of two Russians who were days from deportation

A Finnish court has ordered a fresh review of the asylum case of Olga Belova and her son Nikita Belov, two Russians who had aided Ukrainian refugees and were close to being deported, according to their lawyer as reported by The Guardian. The court reportedly found the pair had submitted substantial new evidence supporting their claim of persecution risk.

The Belovs left Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, with Nikita departing over involvement in a research project he says was tied to the war despite his employer's denials. In Finland they volunteered with a humanitarian center helping Ukrainian refugees before being denied asylum, detained, and served deportation orders in April, which a Helsinki court then suspended.

The Finnish Immigration Service's international protection director declined to discuss the specific case but noted that only about 5% of its decisions are returned for review annually.

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