Azernews.Az

The Tbilisi City Court has allowed Russian citizen Denis Kulanin to leave Georgia for a third country within seven days, while rejecting his extradition to Russia.

Kulanin was detained in March 2025 after being accused of damaging a police vehicle during protests against Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party. He was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison and was pardoned in August 2026.

Following his release, Kulanin sought to leave Georgia for Yerevan, but the country’s Migration Service initially prevented him from doing so. Human rights activists subsequently raised concerns that authorities could be preparing to forcibly return him to Russia.

Kulanin was later reported to have previously worked as a volunteer at the headquarters of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Rostov-on-Don and to have publicly criticized Russia’s war against Ukraine.

During court proceedings, Georgia’s Migration Service sought Kulanin’s extradition to Russia but requested that he first be granted seven days to voluntarily leave Georgia for a third country.

The Tbilisi City Court granted the request, allowing him to depart Georgia within the specified period while ruling against his deportation to Russia.

Kulanin’s case comes amid the broader migration of Russian citizens following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Thousands of Russians left the country, with Georgia becoming one of the major destinations for those seeking to escape the war, political pressure and mobilization.

Many Russians who oppose the war have subsequently faced legal and political pressure from Russian authorities. Critics of the invasion can face prosecution under laws introduced or expanded following the start of the war, while Russian authorities have also imposed restrictions affecting some citizens who have left the country.