France grants safe haven to anti-Kremlin couple detained by ICETens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. (Photo: AFP)PARIS — France has granted safe haven to an anti-Kremlin Russian activist couple detained by ICE in the United States, but his wife was nowhere to be found after he landed in Paris on Monday. The couple left Russia in 2022 as the Kremlin ramped up a crackdown on opponents following the invasion of Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. About 1,000 Russians, many of them asylum seekers, have been deported back to Russia from the United States since 2022.

Source: Bangkok Post February 17, 2026 14:51 UTC