Mikhail Nesvat, a Russian activist from the southwestern city of Novocherkassk, has fled Russia fearing for his safety amid an ongoing crackdown by the state on anyone questioning Russia's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Nesvat told RFE/RL on May 4 that he is currently in the United States, where he has applied for political asylum. He said he reached the United States via Serbia, Turkey, and Mexico.
"I feared for my life and freedom [in Russia], because I was detained many times by law enforcement, including FSB (Federal Security Service) officers. They warned me that they would plant something on my belongings," the 25-year-old activist and a member of the Libertarian Party said.
The last time police detained Nesvat was on March 10 after he assisted activists in the city of Rostov-on-Don who had been detained at unsanctioned rallies against the war in Ukraine.
The same month, Nesvat says FSB officers broke into his apartment and searched his home following a single-person protest against the war.
Many activists, journalists, and other people have left Russia for other countries since Russia launched its wide-scale attack on Ukraine on February 24.
On March 5, President Vladimir Putin signed a law that calls for lengthy prison terms for distributing "deliberately false information" about Russian military operations as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative about its war in Ukraine.
The law envisages sentences of up to 10 years in prison for individuals convicted of an offense, while the penalty for the distribution of "deliberately false information" about the Russian Army that leads to "serious consequences" is 15 years in prison.
It also makes it illegal "to make calls against the use of Russian troops to protect the interests of Russia" or "for discrediting such use" with a penalty of up to three years in prison. The same provision applies to calls for sanctions against Russia.
