A protest against the deportation of 41-year-old native of Ingushetia Ruslan Meyriev was held near the Belgian embassy in Kyiv. He has been in custody in Brussels since 2024, and Russia is demanding his extradition.

“The Belgian embassy in Kyiv supported our right to a peaceful protest and allowed us to hold a picket in support of Ruslan. This is an important gesture that shows that the world should not remain indifferent to the fate of people whom Russia is trying to persecute under false accusations. We call on the Ukrainian government, human rights activists, journalists and all concerned citizens not to remain silent and do everything possible to ensure that Ruslan Meyriev is not extradited to the Putin regime,” the activists said.

Meyriev’s arrest in Belgium was related to a request from the Russian side. In Moscow, the man is suspected of involvement in preparing terrorist attacks ahead of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and of participating in the terrorist Islamic State in Syria. He himself stated that he was not in Syria and did not participate in hostilities, nor did he plan any terrorist attacks in the Russian Federation. All charges are based on information received from Russian special services.

In 2013, Meyriev moved to Crimea, then went to mainland Ukraine. In 2022, he emigrated to Sweden. He was later detained on the basis of a warrant from Belgium and is currently in custody in Brussels.