Finland rejects queer Russian asylum claims despite reported abuse

Finland’s Immigration Service has rejected asylum claims from LGBTQ+ people from Russia, saying they are not automatically at risk and can seek protection from Russian police, Yle reports. LGBTQ+ organisations have called on the agency to review the sources it uses in its decisions.

Aleksei Karachevsky and his partner left Russia in April 2022 and received asylum in Finland after three and a half years of waiting and one rejection. The Immigration Service said in its initial decision that they were not in danger in Russia and could turn to the authorities there.

“The decision said we could ask the [Russian] police for help. We had not been persecuted and beaten often enough,” Karachevsky said. He said the decision also argued that, because he had lived openly as a gay man in Russia, he could continue to do so without fearing for his safety.

The rights of LGBTQ+ people in Russia have deteriorated significantly over the past 15 years. In 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court declared a movement supporting sexual and gender minorities to be extremist. Under Article 282.2 of Russia’s Criminal Code, participating in an extremist organisation can carry a prison sentence of up to six years, while organising its activities can be punished by up to 10 years.

Karachevsky and his partner said they faced repeated difficulties in Russia because they were openly together. They told the Immigration Service that both had been assaulted several times and fired from their jobs. A message reading “This place is not for gays” was painted on their front door, and a warning was posted in their apartment stairwell urging neighbours to report cases of “propaganda” to local police.

The couple had travelled to Portugal to register their relationship and obtained Finnish visas in 2022. They applied for asylum in Finland, citing their sexual orientation and the threat of mobilisation, among other reasons.

While waiting for a decision, Karachevsky founded the organisation Queer Asylum: Finland, joined its board and took part in the work of FoReDi, an organisation advocating for the rights of political migrants. The Immigration Service rejected the couple’s application in January 2025, finding that their safety was not sufficiently at risk. They appealed and gathered about 100 pages of additional material with the help of a lawyer obtained through legal aid.

The couple had been due to attend an interview in September 2025 as part of a reassessment of their application. A few days beforehand, their lawyer called to say the interview had been cancelled because the Immigration Service had granted them asylum.

Karachevsky has since set up a business and organises events. His partner works as a chef. Karachevsky is also on the board of the Finnish branch of Ilya Yashin’s party, Peaceful Russia.

Yle also reported in July on Vasili Marinin, a pansexual activist who advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and received a second negative decision from the Immigration Service. His removal from Finland has been suspended while his appeal is considered. The agency described his account of his sexual identity and its development as “limited and detached” and said his fear of persecution by Russian authorities was based only on assumptions.