Russian couple held in detention after camping trip in Sweden

A Russian couple who travelled from Spain to Sweden for a holiday are being held in a Migration Agency detention centre and fear they could be sent to Russia, SVT reports. Police confirm that an ongoing case exists.

Semjon Rusanov and Tatjana Milenina say they moved from Russia to Spain in 2021. They have Spanish residence permits and have applied for citizenship, according to the couple.

During their holiday in Sweden, they rented accommodation before going on a hike earlier this week. Their lawyer, Silas Aliki, says they later pitched their tent on public land.

Rusanov says two people who looked like guards woke them before police arrived. Someone in the area had reportedly complained that the couple spoke with Russian accents and carried walkie-talkies.

The couple were separated and taken to a police station in Gävle, Rusanov says. He says they were told they posed a threat to Sweden and could not be released. They were given the choice of remaining at the police station or going to a migration detention centre.

Aliki says authorities allege that the couple deliberately pitched their tent near the summer cottage of a protected person, and that they knew who owned the property. The couple are now being held at a Migration Agency detention centre.

The conditions are generally good, Rusanov says, with food and friendly staff. But the couple are locked up, he adds.

According to the couple, Swedish police are in contact with authorities in Spain, which will decide whether their residence permits should be revoked. If that happens, they could be sent to Russia, where they have not been since Russia invaded in 2022. The couple say they have openly protested against the war, which is punishable in Russia.

They could instead be removed to Spain and given a ban on entering Sweden.

Police confirmed that a case is ongoing but said the removal matter is the responsibility of the Migration Agency.

We are not commenting at all at this stage. It is ongoing, and we will see where it ends up, said Pelle Vamstad of the Central police region.

According to the couple’s lawyer, they have not been formally notified that they are suspected of a crime. They have appealed the detention decision and will appeal any decision on removal and a re-entry ban. SVT says it has contacted the Migration Agency.