Russian Anti-War Activist Denied Re-Entry to Serbia

BIA (BETAPHOTO/Branislav Bozic)

On July 13, Peter Nikitin, a Russian anti-war activist and the founder of the Russian Democratic Society, announced that Serbia’s Security and Information Agency (BIA) denied him entry to the country although he is a registered resident.

Returning from vacation, Nikitin arrived at Nikola Tesla Airport in the early hours of July 13. “I flew in via Frankfurt and, at 12:30 a.m. at passport control, they told me to wait. After three hours of waiting, I was told that the BIA decided not to allow me into the country,” Nikitin told N1 TV, adding that he was issued a ruling ordering him to take the first available flight back to Frankfurt.

“I have no reason to go to Frankfurt. I live in Belgrade – that’s my home. I refused to follow the order and, for now, am staying at the airport,” he said.

Nikitin explained that he is a registered resident of Serbia and cannot be denied entry into the country unless his residency is first revoked. “The ruling is absolutely illegal and I have no intention of giving in,” the activist stated.

While the Serbian Interior Ministry and BIA have yet to comment on the situation, the Association of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Serbs Against War (RUBS) has demanded that the authorities immediately revoke the denial of entry and “release” Nikitin, insisting that his years of anti-war activism are the only reason he is “being harassed.”

Nikitin is a citizen of the Netherlands, but has been living in Serbia since 2016. The Russian Democratic Society, which he co-founded, is an association of Russian diaspora in Serbia that openly opposes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has staged multiple anti-war protests.