The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia has annulled the decision requiring Russian citizen and anti-war activist Anton Bobryshev to leave Serbia, reports Voice of America.
This decision by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) was made yesterday, following an appeal from lawyer Anton Bobryshev.
The procedure before the institutions continues, as Bobryshev has also filed an appeal against the second decision, which denied him temporary residence in Serbia.
The Russian Democratic Society, a non-governmental organization that gathers Russian anti-war activists in Serbia, believes that Anton Bobryshev’s case continues the persecution of Russian citizens in Serbia due to their anti-war views.
Anton Bobryshev organized a supportive rally for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Pancevo on June 4, 2023.
When Was the Decision Given to Bobryshev to Leave Serbia?
The decision by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, issued on September 16, rejected Anton Bobryshev’s request for temporary residence in Serbia based on property ownership.
Three days later, the MUP issued a new decision ordering him to leave Serbia within 30 days—by October 19.
In its explanation, the MUP emphasized that “a prior assessment was required from the state authority responsible for national security to determine if the presence of a foreigner poses an unacceptable security risk.”
After the lawyer’s appeal on October 23, the Ministry of Internal Affairs revoked the order for Bobryshev to leave the country.
The procedure for the second appeal, requesting temporary residence for Bobryshev in Serbia, is still ongoing.
Bobryshev and his wife moved to Serbia eight years ago.
As previously reported by the Russian Democratic Society, Anton Bobryshev participated in anti-war rallies in Belgrade and organized a rally in support of opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in Russia in February of this year.
The cancellation of hospitality in Serbia for some members of the Russian diaspora who participated in anti-war protests began in the summer of 2023 after the United States imposed sanctions on the then-director of the BIA, Alexander Vulin, due to, among other things, his ties with Russia.
Initially, in July 2023, temporary residence was denied to anti-war activist Vladimir Volokhonsky, followed by Yevgeny Irzhansky a month later. Both had a clear stance against the war following the Russian invasion. In both cases, the MUP stated that there were “security obstacles” to extending their residence.
In March 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs refused to grant permanent residence to the three-member Russian family Tereh. In 2019, Irina, Sergey, and their ten-year-old son Mark moved from Russia to Banja Koviljača in western Serbia. The reasoning for denying their permanent residence was reduced to stating that there were security problems.
One of the latest examples is Elena Koposova, a Russian citizen whose application for permanent residence was denied for the second time in August. The Ministry of Internal Affairs clarified the decision, stating that the security service had data “that pose an obstacle to the approval of her request.”
This literary translator from St. Petersburg moved to Serbia at the end of 2019 with her husband and two children. They purchased a house in Mount Kosmaj, about fifty kilometers south of Belgrade.
The police and BIA have not responded to any of RFE’s questions since the beginning of the ban on Russian citizens opposing the war in the summer of 2023.
Official Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia for two and a half years, and Serbian officials are among the few in Europe who meet with Kremlin officials.
