Prominent Russian dissidents Kara-Murza, Navalnaya, and Yashin ask Canada to take in compatriots facing deportation from the U.S.

A number of prominent Russian opposition politicians in exile have appealed to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking him to grant asylum to their compatriots facing deportation from the United States. Their English-language letter, shared exclusively with Canada’s The Globe and Mail, was signed by Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, along with former political prisoners Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin.

In their letter, the politicians noted that “several hundred opposition-minded Russians” were forced to flee after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, many seeking asylum in the U.S.

However, since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, many anti-war Russians have been sent to immigration detention centers. Families have been separated, and courts have been rejecting applications en masse. The signatories urged Canada to accept Russians who are at risk of deportation — and to formally notify U.S. authorities of its willingness to do so.

“People who fled the Kremlin's repression and Putin’s prisons are ending up in American prisons. It is terrible and unjust,” read an excerpt published by Yashin on his Telegram channel. “The situation for opposition-minded Russians seeking asylum in the U.S. is dire — and it’s getting worse by the day,” he added, citing the case of activist Leonid Melokhin, who was deported from the U.S. in July and immediately arrested upon arrival in Russia on charges of “justifying terrorism.”

Kara-Murza, who was named an honorary Canadian citizen in 2023 while still imprisoned in Russia, is expected to visit the country this fall to promote the proposals outlined in the joint letter.

In late August, rights groups reported that several dozen Russians were deported from the U.S. in one sweep. According to U.S. immigration authorities, more than 3,500 Russian citizens were on deportation lists by the end of 2024. In some cases, those deported were interrogated by security services upon arrival in their home country, and some face criminal charges or possible conscription.