×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Asylum Denied, Other Russia Activist Kills Self

Correction appended

An activist with the Other Russia opposition movement has committed suicide in the Netherlands — apparently after he was designated for deportation to Russia.

Alexander Dolmatov killed himself last night in a Rotterdam refugee center, his friend Denis Solopov told The Moscow Times Thursday. He added that he had not been able to get in contact with Dolmatov for some days and that it was unclear why he should have been deported.

Dolmatov had fled to the Netherlands last year after being implicated in the case of the violent anti-government protest on May 6. He filed an asylum request to Dutch authorities in June.

Solopov said that he had not heard of a decision regarding Dolmatov's requests. "If there had been one, positive or negative, he would have told me," he said. He speculated that Dutch authorities had gotten an extradition request from Russian police.

Domatov told The Moscow Times in an interview in July that he feared disproportionate punishment because he worked at a rocket production factory in Korolyov, outside Moscow.


Read the interview here.

An earlier version of this article said Dolmatov killed himself in an Amsterdam refugee center. It should have said Rotterdam.

Related articles:

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more