On August 1, 2024, Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin was released from prison as part of a historic prisoner swap between Russia and Western countries. He had been in prison for over two years, serving an 8.5-year sentence for allegedly spreading “disinformation” about Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. In the months following his release, Yashin, who now resides in Germany, began receiving messages from people seeking his help in addressing a troubling new trend: U.S. immigration authorities had begun detaining Russian nationals awaiting decisions on their asylum claims, often holding them for months at a time. On January 22, Yashin announced that he had sent letters to the heads of six major U.S. media outlets asking them to bring attention to his compatriots’ plight. Meduza spoke with Yashin about the issue and what he’s doing to advocate for the people affected.
The following interview has been lightly edited and abridged for length and clarity.
How did you first become aware that there are so many Russian asylum seekers imprisoned in the U.S.?
I found out about this from the numerous messages I received across various social media platforms. People write to me about all kinds of issues, and I’ve gotten many messages about widespread arrests at the border when individuals apply for asylum.
There were so many of these messages that I started looking into it, asking around among friends, acquaintances, and colleagues in the United States. I also reached out to attorney Yulia Nikolaev, whom I’ve known for quite some time and who works on this issue. I tried to figure out how I could help and what I could actually do, given that I don’t have any official authority.
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What have you seen or learned that left the biggest impression on you?
The situation as a whole is just outrageous. People who haven’t committed any crimes are being sent to prison. They’re fleeing Russia because they oppose the war, escaping repression and Putin’s prisons — only to end up in American prisons. It’s unfair, it’s shocking, and it’s just wrong — it shouldn’t be happening.
Nonetheless, there are some particularly egregious cases — ones where families are separated.
If a family arrives with a child, it’s almost guaranteed that they will be sent to different detention centers. The husband might be sent to a prison in one state, the wife to a prison in another, and the child is usually placed with a foster family.
This kind of treatment causes enormous stress, and, on a human level, I just can’t understand it. Why treat people so harshly when all they’re doing is seeking asylum in a country known as the world’s leading free and democratic state?
You wrote in your letter to U.S. media outlets that this wasn’t previously happening — until recently, Russian asylum seekers were free to move around as they awaited their trial. What changed?
The way the rules are applied in practice changed.
When you apply for asylum, immigration authorities have the discretion to make a decision. They can issue you a special code, and you stay free while awaiting the review of your application.
Or, if they choose, they can arbitrarily send you to prison. According to the law, with this program, CPB One, it’s essentially at the discretion of the immigration officer.
But, as I understand it, and according to what lawyers, human rights activists, and even people affected have told me, immigration officials have said off the record that, starting in late May or June, there was some directive given to all immigration staff — that all people with Russian passports must be held in prison.
So, in 99 out of 100 cases, starting in June, people with Russian passports are being sent to prison and waiting for their cases to be processed there. And this process can take months. It’s not quick at all. Only a court can resolve your case, and that takes months.
So, what the exact reason for this is, who made this decision, and what it’s related to, I unfortunately couldn’t figure out. But it’s clear that this decision was made.
Who did you meet with in Washington, and how did they respond to what you told them?
I spoke with Senate staff, State Department officials, and White House staff at the Eisenhower Building. What I told them was news to them — none of them had heard anything about it. It’s not their area of expertise, I understand, because this falls under immigration authorities, so they didn’t know anything about it.
It was important to me to be able to bring in an attorney who works directly on these issues here and in the prisons, because no one had been willing to meet with her. My job was simply to open doors for her so she could establish direct contact with these officials and get something done.
The reaction was generally positive. They didn’t refuse to engage with us or anything. Mostly, they gathered information and promised to look into it. For them, it was all news.
But I understand that right now isn’t exactly the best time for this, with the political transition and the new administration. Trump has already canceled the CPB One program, and now they’re canceling interviews that had been scheduled for people who had requested them.
I understand it’s not the best moment to raise this issue, but there are over 900 people sitting in prison, and something needs to be done. So I think it’s still worth bringing attention to this, and to help speed up the process or perhaps pressure the executive branch. That’s why I decided to also reach out to what’s called the fourth estate, the American media.
Do you believe it’s possible that the situation will improve under the Trump administration?
It’s not a matter of belief. Believing or not believing — that’s for God, for oneself, and so on. I just understand that there’s a need from people, and I understand that I have to respond to that. So, I’ve done what I can. I’m not thinking about belief or disbelief. What’s the use of that? I’m just trying to help and thinking of ways and mechanisms to make that possible. And as of today, I’ve done what I could.
It’s clear that this first post-election wave needs to subside first. After that, a more routine process should begin to take shape. I’m hoping that by that time, we’ll be able to establish some kind of working dialogue with the Trump administration, the ones handling these issues, and try to help people through that dialogue.
Overall, I’m ready for this work. I have colleagues in the United States who are ready to involve me. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to change the system as a whole, but if we can make progress on specific cases, that would be something.
There are 900 people, which isn’t such a large number when compared to the total number of asylum seekers in the U.S., or the overall immigrant population. So I want to believe that the efforts made by me, my colleagues, Yulia Navalnaya, and others will yield some positive result.
After the prisoner swap, you said that you hadn’t wanted to be included, because you didn’t want to leave Russia. Have your feelings changed, now that you have the ability to do work like advocating for Russian refugees in the U.S.?
What does “change your mind” mean? I still don’t have a choice. Russia has opened another criminal case against me, and I’ve been put on a wanted list. If I return, I’ll be arrested at the airport.
This isn’t a matter of sitting and debating whether to go back or stay abroad. I’m here because I was forced out. I’ve been deprived of my home and my ability to live and work in my own country.
That doesn’t mean I’ll give up. I’m trying to be useful where I am, but as soon as I have the chance to go home, I’ll return immediately.
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Interview by Sam Breazeale
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