Evidence

Multiple independent outlets (Novaya Gazeta Europe, The Insider, Meduza, News.az, plus social posts from Sota News) reported in August 2026 on Semyon and Tatyana, a Russian couple who had lived in Spain for about five years and are vocal opponents of the war in Ukraine. They were detained by Swedish police while camping near Furuvik after being reported by security guards, and police reportedly cited their Russian accents, fishing poles and walkie-talkies as suspicious. Swedish authorities designated them a national-security threat and moved to deport them. Advocacy groups supporting anti-war Russians abroad — the Kovcheg project and the Russian Antiwar Committee — publicly rejected the security-threat designation, saying the case rested only on those three superficial factors. A Stockholm migration court later ruled that citizenship and language alone were not grounds for detention and ordered the couple released, though possible expulsion to Spain (not Russia, since they hold Spanish residency) remained possible. No dedicated fact-check from Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo specifically evaluating this claim was found in searches.