Finnish authorities plan to deport an anti-war Russian man on May 28 after his asylum appeals were rejected, the exiled broadcaster TV Rain reported Wednesday, citing an exiled politician from St. Petersburg familiar with his case.
Roman Golikov entered Finland on a tourist visa in September 2022, a week before President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of reservists to fight in the war against Ukraine.
In Russia, Golikov faces potential conscription into the army, having already been issued a military summons, which TV Rain said it had seen. Since mobilization remains legally active, he would be required to report to a military enlistment office upon his return.
Golikov also previously donated to late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation in 2021 and 2022, during the period when Russian authorities designated the group as an “extremist” organization. In Finland, he participated in pro-Ukraine rallies.
Finnish immigration authorities initially denied Golikov’s asylum application in April 2025. A Helsinki court subsequently rejected his appeal this February, ruling that his political actions “cannot be considered to arouse special interest from the [Russian] authorities.”
