Artur Ankalainen and Alexander Zheleznikov are Russian activists. They are convinced that if they return to Russia, they will be imprisoned for political reasons. Both claim that they are in the sights of the FSB, although no criminal cases have been opened against them - at least officially. However, the Finnish Migration Service (Migri) believes that their arguments are insufficient to grant asylum.
A DW investigation found that such refusals are becoming more frequent in Finland: in 2024, the number of rejected asylum applications was three times higher than that of approved ones.
The story of the Karelian ethno-separatist Ankalainen
Artur Ankalainen is a member of two far-right organizations: Suur-Suomen Sotilaat ("Soldiers of Greater Finland") and Karjalan Kansallinen Liike ("Karelian National Movement"), which in Russia are included in the list of extremist and terrorist organizations prepared by "Rosfinmonitoring" (the Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service - ed. note). Both organizations advocate for the national self-determination of Finno-Ugric peoples within the framework of a "Greater Finland".
According to Ankalainen, he came under the attention of the Russian security services even before he left the country, after an event he organized: "FSB officers showed up at this meeting and wrote down the names of everyone present. After that, I started receiving threats on the phone."
Later, already in Finland, he participated in a rally in front of the Russian embassy in Helsinki, at which activists burned the Russian flag. At the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the action "extremist" and demanded that its participants be brought to justice.
Ankalainen learned from neighbors that FSB officers had been looking for him at the address where he was registered and had searched his home. However, he is not aware of any criminal case filed against him, but he fears that if he is returned to Russia, he could quickly end up in the "FSB torture chamber". "They won't leave me for anything in the world. We are the organizers, the faces of the movement. They can try to get the others out through me," says the Russian activist.
"Weak evidentiary value"
Migri finds the presented arguments insufficiently convincing. The decision, which DW has reviewed, states that the anonymous threatening messages have "weak evidentiary value", since it was not possible to establish the identity of their sender. It is also noted that the organizations mentioned are not included in the official list of extremist organizations of the Russian Ministry of Justice. But according to a check by the State Duma, they appear on the lists of "Rosfinmonitoring" and the FSB.
As lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov explains, the Ministry of Justice and the FSB maintain different lists: the ministry - of extremists, and the FSB - of terrorists. "Rosfinmonitoring" combines data from various sources, including the FSB list.
"They asked me if I was a deputy. If not, then there is no danger. But this is absurd," commented Ankalainen. He says that he is threatened with a series of criminal cases on political grounds: for organizing and participating in an "extremist community", and possibly for treason, which is punishable by life imprisonment. The decision also states that he is not at risk of mobilization, as he is a radio electronics engineer, has not worked in the defense sector and has a "protected status".
"I did not come to Finland to receive benefits, but because I cannot return to Russia," adds Ankalainen. As an example, he cites the case of Andrei Vasyurenko, an 18-year-old supporter of Karelian independence - in 2023 he was sentenced to nine years in prison for inciting treason: according to the investigation, he called for desertion to Ukraine.
Six years waiting for a decision on political asylum
Alexander Zheleznikov is a Russian anti-fascist who has been waiting for a decision on his application for political asylum since 2019. In Russia, he participated in anarchist and anti-fascist actions, supported Ukraine and, as he himself claims, helped friends organize their escape from the country after they damaged the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky in Volgodonsk. "They didn't dare to cross the border and returned to Volgodonsk. There they were detained, and then the FSB officers became interested in me," he says.
In 2019, Zheleznikov went to Finland and applied for asylum. The recommendation letter from the Memorial Human Rights Center mentioned that FSB officers had come to his home. However, no criminal case has been opened against him. "I have been living here for six years and four months. But Migri says that too much time has passed - maybe they just forgot about me," he says. Zheleznikov's case is currently pending before the Supreme Court of Finland, which is the final instance.
What could be the reason for Migri's refusal?
Ankalainen suggests that the Finnish authorities' refusal may be related to the fact that Russian political émigrés may be suspected of working for Russia to destabilize the region. "They may perceive us as radicals, as an instrument of provocation, as in the village of Mainila in 1939, which began the Soviet invasion of Finland."
Zheleznikov believes that Migri's refusal reflects not only anti-migrant sentiment in Finnish society, but also the political will of the authorities. "The demographic situation in the country is difficult. If it is recognized that Russia is really dangerous for opposition-minded citizens, a huge number of people will have to be accepted. This will affect the budget, social infrastructure and, in general, will change society, which the authorities do not agree with,", he says.
More refusals than approved applications
Over the past five years, 2,260 Russian citizens have applied for asylum in Finland, Migri told DW. The largest increase was recorded in 2022, when 1,171 Russian citizens applied for political asylum. In the following two years, there was a decline - 416 and 179 applications submitted, respectively, and by mid-2025 there were only 63. For all 5 years, the number of refusals (963) exceeded the number of positive decisions (698). Migri refused to comment on the specific cases of Zheleznikov and Ankalainen.
Last chance: What is the plan for political emigrants?
According to Dorzho Dugarov, a Buryat human rights activist who helps Russian political emigrants in Finland, the wording in most Migri refusals is repeated. Applicants are rejected due to – – – – – – lack of threat of persecution–. According to him, the system is often not transparent, and the decisions themselves sometimes seem random. He explains this by the tightening of the migration policy of the current conservative government and increased caution towards more acute forms of opposition activity.
For example, the press in Finland draws attention to the fact that the extremist organizations "Soldiers of Greater Finland" and "Karelian National Movement" organize military training with other far-right groups. As the Seura portal writes, citing the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, they do not pose a terrorist threat, but they cause concern in society because "they create a potential environment for the radicalization of individuals".
"But we should not forget that the court in Finland is independent," says Dugarov, giving the example of a Chechen who was granted political asylum after eight years of waiting. In other cases, however, migration authorities have approved deportations to Russia – for example, against LGBTI activists and a Chechen opposition activist known for his criticism of Ramzan Kadyrov.
Author: Alexey Strelnikov