Finland denied asylum to an anarchist from St. Petersburg - decided to deport him to Russia on October 7. The Administrative Court in Eastern Finland approved the Finnish immigration service's refusal to grant asylum to 44-year-old anarchist from St. Petersburg Mikhail Lunkovsky. This was reported by activist Svetlana Otkina, who lives in Finland. The man was ordered to be deported to Russia. Lunkovsky had been an active participant in the protest movement in St. Petersburg for many years. After the full Russian invasion of Ukraine began, he openly opposed the war. The anarchist told Mediazona that right at the start of the invasion he sent money from Russian cards to Ukrainian funds such as "הסתובב בחיים", and also left anti-war comments in various chats. Since 2017–2018, Lunkovsky has been moderating the Telegram channel chat of promoter Arkadi in Betchanko, known for his criticism of the Russian authorities and the war in Ukraine. Betchanko himself has lived in Ukraine since 2017. In 2020 he was accused in Russia of justifying terrorism. In 2022 Lunkovsky and his wife, a Ukrainian citizen, left Russia. She traveled to Romania, and he first entered Finland with a visa, then joined her. He applied for asylum in Romania, but the Romanian authorities, in accordance with the Dublin regulations, transferred his request to Finland, which issued him a visa. Lunkovsky waited almost two years for his first interview with the immigration service. This took place only on May 9, 2025. On July 2 that year his asylum was rejected. As Mediazona writes regarding the court ruling that confirmed the refusal, the facts that Lunkovsky was involved in activism in the early 2000s and expressed political opinions online were considered proven. However, the court concluded that "פעילויותיו של המבקש ברשתות החברתיות היו בעלת אופי מינורי ביותר" and found no evidence that "המבקש מעניין במיוחד את הרשויות ברוסיה".

Finland denied asylum to an anarchist from St. Petersburg - decided to deport him to Russia on October 7. The Administrative Court in Eastern Finland approved the Finnish immigration service's refusal to grant asylum to 44-year-old anarchist from St. Petersburg Mikhail Lunkovsky. This was reported by activist Svetlana Otkina, who lives in Finland. The man was ordered to be deported to Russia. Lunkovsky had been an active participant in the protest movement in St. Petersburg for many years. After the full Russian invasion of Ukraine began, he openly opposed the war. The anarchist told Mediazona that right at the start of the invasion he sent money from Russian cards to Ukrainian funds such as "הסתובב בחיים", and also left anti-war comments in various chats. Since 2017–2018, Lunkovsky has been moderating the Telegram channel chat of promoter Arkadi in Betchanko, known for his criticism of the Russian authorities and the war in Ukraine. Betchanko himself has lived in Ukraine since 2017. In 2020 he was accused in Russia of justifying terrorism. In 2022 Lunkovsky and his wife, a Ukrainian citizen, left Russia. She traveled to Romania, and he first entered Finland with a visa, then joined her. He applied for asylum in Romania, but the Romanian authorities, in accordance with the Dublin regulations, transferred his request to Finland, which issued him a visa. Lunkovsky waited almost two years for his first interview with the immigration service. This took place only on May 9, 2025. On July 2 that year his asylum was rejected. As Mediazona writes regarding the court ruling that confirmed the refusal, the facts that Lunkovsky was involved in activism in the early 2000s and expressed political opinions online were considered proven. However, the court concluded that "פעילויותיו של המבקש ברשתות החברתיות היו בעלת אופי מינורי ביותר" and found no evidence that "המבקש מעניין במיוחד את הרשויות ברוסיה".