A Belarusian was deported from Russia and banned from entering the country for 100 years

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Karelia ruled to expel Belarusian citizen Maksim Stasevich from the territory of the Russian Federation and imposed a ban on his entry into the country until 2126. The formal justification for this decision was his participation in mass protests against Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Minsk in 2020.

According to human rights organizations and media reports, Stasevich had been living in Karelia since 2021 and worked at the “Polar Circle” children’s camp. In December 2025, he was detained in St. Petersburg at the request of Belarusian law enforcement agencies, which had opened a criminal case against him; however, the Russian prosecutor’s office refused to extradite him at that time. In April 2026, he was detained again for lacking FSB permission to stay in the border zone and was fined.

Subsequently, the Center for Countering Extremism of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs appealed the court rulings, stating that participation in the protest movement in Belarus poses a “threat to public order in the Russian Federation.” The Supreme Court of Karelia upheld the security agency’s position, approving the Belarusian’s deportation with an unprecedented 100-year ban on crossing the Russian border.

Sources: “Nasha Niva” publication.

Earlier, the U.S. and Lukashenko had agreed on the release of more than 250 Belarusian political prisoners.

Following this, U.S. Special Representative in Minsk John Cole announced Washington’s decision to lift sanctions previously imposed on Belarusian potash.