(BERLIN) – Russians holding dual citizenship are being arrested, charged with treason, and handed lengthy prison sentences upon returning home to visit relatives, a new report has found.
The cases are sending what experts describe as a chilling message to all Russians living abroad. “Treason charges are a key tool of repression,” human rights advocates told DW News, which released the investigation on 9 August 2026.
The legal aid group First Department has documented a sharp rise in treason cases since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s repressive laws are deliberately written so vaguely that almost anyone can be found guilty of almost anything. In Russia, courts are no longer independent institutions of justice and increasingly function as an extension of the FSB’s bureaucracy, the group said.
Among those caught in the crackdown is Mikail Los Chinan, a dual Russian Belgian citizen. He travelled to Russia to visit his sick father in the summer of 2025 and was arrested at the border. Prosecutors accused him of sending €200 (£171, $217) to his Ukrainian former girlfriend several years ago. In June 2026, a Russian court classified the transfer as assistance to a foreign state acting against the Russian armed forces, sentencing him to 16 years in prison. His family, friends, and former colleagues say the charges are absurd.
In a similar case, Russian American citizen Ksenia Karelina was arrested in 2024 while visiting family. Her crime was donating $51 (£40, €47) to a United States based charity providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason. Karelina spent just over a year behind bars before being released in April 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange.
Masha, a Russian living in Hamburg who also holds an EU passport, said every trip home to St Petersburg is nerve wracking. “When I was preparing to go home and visit my family, to be honest, I was very scared,” she said, speaking under a false name to protect her identity. “I went through my phone and deleted chats, photos, especially pictures from protests. I removed the numbers of my Ukrainian friends and relatives and deleted all our messages.” Getting to Russia has become an ordeal, she said. With no direct flights from Europe, journeys are long and expensive, and the few open land crossings involve hour long queues.
Germany’s foreign office now advises Germans, especially dual nationals, against travelling to Russia, warning of the risk of arbitrary detention. Yet for Masha, the choice between safety and seeing her family is agonising. “Relatives get sick. They die. There are property and inheritance issues. You cannot just tell someone, ‘Don’t go,'” she said. “For an immigrant, being able to visit your home country is incredibly important. It is very hard to accept you may never be able to return.”
Daria, Mikail Los Chinan’s sister, said she is determined to get him out of prison. Her family has written to the Belgian king, the Pope, and international organisations seeking support. “I am really hoping about a diplomatic solution, whatever it is,” she said. She believes the public campaign, performances, and letters people are sending help him endure life behind bars. “The worst thing for a political prisoner is to be forgotten,” she said. “Knowing that people are supporting him, fighting for him, and trying to raise awareness about the outrageous situation, gives him strength and hope.”
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