Russian émigrés face deportation after being detained while vacationing in Sweden

Police reportedly said their fishing poles, walkie-talkies, and accents seemed suspicious

Two Russian émigrés were detained while on vacation in Sweden and now face deportation, according to the Kovcheg project, which supports anti-war Russians abroad, and the Russian Antiwar Committee.

The couple, identified as Semyon and Tatyana, have lived in Spain for the past five years and are vocal opponents of the war in Ukraine. They were reportedly detained after setting up a tent on a beach near the town of Furuvik during a hiking trip. Security guards at a nearby private residence called the police, who detained the couple. Officers said they found it suspicious that the pair spoke with Russian accents and had fishing poles and walkie-talkies with them.

Semyon and Tatyana are now being held at a migration detention centre. Swedish authorities have designated them a threat to national security and intend to deport them, Kovcheg and the Antiwar Committee said.

The Antiwar Committee has pledged to help the couple appeal the decision and travel safely back to Spain, while Kovcheg has said it is looking for a lawyer to represent them.