Defence refuses to challenge decision to deport Kamyshin activist to Ukraine

The court of appeal upheld the decision to deport Ukrainian citizen Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross from Russia. The man attracted the attention of the law enforcement bodies after the announcement of a rally for accessibility of Kamyshin roads for people with disabilities. An appeal has been sent to President Putin to prevent the deportation. Taking into account the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, there is a chance that Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross will be deported to Georgia or Armenia.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Ukrainian citizen Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross, who served his arrest for organizing a wheelchair run in the city of Kamyshin, will be deported from Russia. Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross and his partner wife have been fined under the article on violation of the Russian migration laws, and the man is expected to deported from Russia next week, despite the possibility of persecution in the homeland due to his pro-Russian position.

“He himself is not disabled. The rally was organized in order to show the deplorable state of the roads in the city of Kamyshin, where he lives,” stated Valeriya Trigolos, an advocate of Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross.

The advocate noted that after the rally, the law enforcement bodies suddenly noticed that Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross stayed in Russia illegally.

Advocate Valeriya Trigolos emphasizes that the main question now is how and where the deportation will take place, taking into account the special military operation ongoing in Ukraine.

Lyudmila is a partner wife of Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross. They have been living together since 2021, and they have a child who is two years and three months old. The woman said that Gongadze Volny Ross is the Alexander’s real surname, recorded in his Ukrainian passport.

"His father’s surname is Gongadze ... Volny, if I’m not mistaken, is his grandmother’s surname. And Ross is already his addition with a hint that he adheres to the pro-Russian views, although his father is Georgian, and his mother is Ukrainian,” Lyudmila explained.

Alexander Gongadze Volny Ross left Ukraine for Russia in 2017 due to his pro-Russian views.

Svetlana Gannushkina*, the chair of the “Civic Assistance Committee”**, reported that stricter measures have been taken against Ukrainian citizens, crossing the border of the country, even against those with a residence permit in Russia.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

**On April 20, 2015, information appeared on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of the Russian Federation that the “Civic Assistance Committee” was included in the list of foreign agents.