Telegram channels report a Karelian Court has banned a Belarusian from entering Russia for 100 years

The Supreme Court of Russia's Karelia has ruled to ban a Belarusian, Maksim Stasevich, from entering Russia for 100 years. This is reported by Telegram channels. Stasevich took part in the protests in Minsk in 2020.

In December 2025 he was detained in Saint Petersburg at the request of the Belarusian authorities. In April 2026 he was detained in the village of Nilmaguba in Karelia for lacking an FSB permit.

Stasevich moved to Karelia in 2021. He worked as a counsellor at the "Polar Circle" children's camp, where he taught dog handling and sea tourism. The camp's management gave him positive references.

The camp stands on the White Sea coast, and access there requires a special permit issued by the FSB. According to independent Belarusian outlets, Stasevich had worked at the camp since June 2022.

Stasevich held an FSB permit until the end of 2023. In April 2026 he was detained precisely for not having such a permit.

He was fined but not deported from Russia. Both state and independent Belarusian outlets report this.

After the detention in Saint Petersburg, the prosecutor of the Admiralteisky district did not decide to extradite Stasevich to his homeland. The reason, as reported: taking part in a demonstration is not a crime under Russian law. Both independent and state Belarusian outlets give this version; according to them, Stasevich was released.

The Center for Countering Extremism of Karelia's Interior Ministry explained the entry ban differently: it claims that Stasevich "hid on Russian territory from a criminal prosecution body" (translation).

Two Russian bodies thus described the situation differently: the prosecutor proceeded from the view that taking part in a demonstration is not a crime, while the law-enforcement agency cited evasion of criminal prosecution.

Stasevich has submitted a petition to the Zavodski RASK in Minsk asking that criminal prosecution be replaced with administrative liability. It is not yet known when the petition will be considered.