SERBIA: Peter Nikitin, a Russian pro-democracy activist and a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Serbian officials barred him from returning to the nation after being abroad. He claimed the decision was “arbitrary and illegal” and that he was stopped at Belgrade Airport.
Serbia has maintained cordial ties with Moscow and declined to enact sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, despite the fact that it officially desires membership in the European Union and denounced the action.
Nikitin, a dual-national Russian and Dutch resident in Serbia, claimed to have attempted to enter Serbia using his Dutch passport but was turned away. The activist told the media that he haven’t slept all night and plans to stay at the Begrade airport’s terminal as long as he doesn’t face deportation.
Nikitin sent a border guards’ paper to a US-based news agency, stating a protective measure of removal, the security measure of expulsion, or ban on entry into the Slavic nation. He claimed the document contained no justification for the ban and that it was arbitrary and unlawful. The government has not provided a statement.
It is generally known that Nikitin has been a vocal opponent of both Vladimir Putin’s government and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He was a driving force behind the anti-war and pro-democracy demonstrations in the Slavic nation that the local Russian and Ukrainian populations in the country demanded.
Serbia, a Slavic country, has attracted around 200,000 Russian citizens since the conflict in Ukraine as it requires no visa for Russians. Many have relocated their enterprises to a nation without sanctions or escaped military draftiness.
Aleksandar Vulin, head of the nation’s pro-Russian intelligence service, was sanctioned by the US for involvement in illegal arms transfers, drug trafficking, and public office abuse.
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