Semyon and Tatyana, a Russian couple who have lived in Spain for the past five years, were detained in Sweden on the morning of Aug. 6 while spending the night in a tent by the sea, the Russian Antiwar Committee told The Insider.
Semyon and Tatyana were resting on the seashore near the town of Furuvik during a hiking trip when they were approached by police, who had been called by security guards from a private home near the spot where the Russians had pitched their tent.
According to the Antiwar Committee, the grounds for the detention — and for the Swedish government’s subsequent deportation order — were the couple’s Russian accents and their possession of two tourist walkie-talkies. The Russians were also unable to clearly explain to police why they had chosen that specific place to spend the night. Later, they told rights defenders that they “like hiking and decided to spend the night by the water.”
Semyon and Tatyana are now being held in a deportation detention center. Margarita Kuchusheva, a consul with the Antiwar Committee, shared the details of their case with The Insider:
“This is not the first case in which Sweden has recognized Russian citizens as a threat to national security. Unfortunately, anti-war Russians sometimes fall under these criteria as well. In this case, [they were] simply a pair of tourists who chose to go on a camping trip.
Challenging such a status is extremely difficult, and it can seriously damage a person’s life, such as when one wants to apply for a visa. The consuls of the Anti-War Committee will help Semyon and Tatyana have this status removed and leave safely for Spain.”
The Antiwar Committee added that Semyon (who works as a game developer) and Tatyana oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine, do humanitarian work, and help teenage emigres adapt to life abroad.
