Russia arrests anti-war activist who was deported by Türkiye

A court in St. Petersburg has arrested anti-war activist Ariadne Litvinova, a Russian citizen who was deported from Türkiye last weekend and faces charges of “discrediting” the army.

The charges against Litvinova were first filed in February 2025, when she was detained after writing “Murderers. Peace to Ukraine. Freedom for political prisoners” across a pro-war photo exhibition. The court initially held her in pre-trial detention before releasing her under a “ban on certain activities”. In August, she left Russia for Türkiye, where her father lives.

According to Litvinova’s father, who spoke to BBC News Russian, the official reason for the activist’s deportation was that her documents had expired. He said that in May, a conflict arose between the two of them that led to him and his new wife calling the police. Though he didn’t file an official complaint against his daughter, the officers detained her because her documents had expired. She then spent about a month in a detention centre, and he learned of her ultimate deportation from media reports.

Litvinova was flown to Russia on 4 July. On 7 July, the St. Petersburg court press service announced that her “ban on certain activities” had been replaced by an arrest.