On July 4, at the request of Russian authorities, Turkey sent Russian anti-war activist Ariadna Litvinova back to Moscow. Litvinova, 24, is wanted in her home country on criminal charges of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian armed forces, the human rights project Prison Lawyer reports. The plane carrying Litvinova landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, where she was detained.
Whether Turkey transferred the activist under the procedure of extradition or deportation remains unknown, Prison Lawyer told The Insider. In any case, this marks the first publicly known instance of Turkey handing a person over to Russia who had been charged with a non-violent act of protest against the war in Ukraine.
As Prison Lawyer noted, Litvinova had been on the Russian wanted list since Feb. 4, 2026. She was initially prosecuted for vandalism, but the charges were later reclassified to Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code — repeated “discrediting” of the army.
Litvinova was detained in St. Petersburg on Feb. 24, 2025. According to the Memorial human rights group, on the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she wrote “Murderers,” “Peace to Ukraine,” and “Freedom for Prisoners” on pro-war advertising banners near the arch of the General Staff building in St. Petersburg. The investigation assessed the damage at 135,536 rubles ($1,762). The next day, a court fined her 50,000 rubles ($650) under administrative charges of “discrediting” the army, then sent her to pre-trial detention for “vandalism,” which is a criminal offense.
