They fled Russia, but the West sent them back

Criticising the government, whether on the street or on social media, can result in a prison sentence in Russia. In December, when a flight landed in Moscow, Russian security services were waiting for the deportees, including activists denied political asylum in the US.

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"It was unbelievably frightening. My knees were shaking with fear," says Katya, one of the deportees. We have changed her name to protect her identity, as she remains in Russia.

Katya had left Russia and claimed asylum in the US two years earlier. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many countries welcomed fleeing Russians. However, attitudes have hardened over the past four years, and the number of anti-war Russians forcibly returned from Western countries is rising. Katya's experience highlights the potential risks they face.

US authorities rejected her asylum application after she provided evidence of her participation in protests and her membership in an opposition movement. Upon her return to Moscow, officers from the FSB security service handed all male deportees military papers, requiring them to register with the local enlistment office, where men are often sent to fight in Ukraine.

Another passenger on the flight, also an activist, confirmed Katya's account. The FSB frequently televises operations against perceived "spies" and "traitors."

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"At one point, they found incriminating information on my phone," says Katya. "Their faces changed in a second. I was very afraid that they would simply bundle me off somewhere."

Katya was eventually released and allowed to stay with relatives, but she reports that police continue to call and visit her at home.

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"I feel as if I'm in a cage, like in a zoo," she says. "Whenever I see a police car, I feel terrified and start thinking, 'What if they're coming for me?'

Katya showed the BBC documents and photographs confirming her story, which aligns with accounts from other deportees. Removals from the US rose from 222 in 2023 to more than 1,200 in 2025, amid a broader increase in deportations under President Donald Trump's second term.

Activists report that Russian deportees include dissidents and army deserters, some of whom face imprisonment or conscription upon returning to Russia. One such case is Leonid Melekhin, an anti-war activist who sought asylum in the US after being arrested at protests in Russia. After being deported back home last year, Melekhin was charged with "justifying terrorism" and sentenced to six years in prison.