A Russian court has stripped environmental activist and war critic Arshak Makichyan, as well as two of his brothers and his father, of their Russian citizenship, Makichyan has told Meduza. According to him, none of the men have citizenship in any other country.
According to Makichyan’s lawyer, Olga Podoplelova, the court accused Makichyan of submitting “knowingly false information” when applying for Russian citizenship in 2002.
Arshak Makichyan first reported that the Russian authorities wanted to take away his Russian citizenship in an interview with Meduza in June 2022. He announced that the court had made a decision on Facebook on October 26.
Makichyan’s family moved to Russia from Armenia in the 1990s to escape the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. He’s lived in Russia since he was one year old.