Estonia revokes residence permit of Russian citizen who has lived there for decades

Estonian authorities have revoked the residence permit of Sergey Neprimerov, a 66-year-old Russian citizen who has lived in Estonia for almost his entire life. According to the Russian news outlet Fontanka, on September 30, Neprimerov traveled from Narva, Estonia, to Ivangorod, Russia, to attend a friend’s funeral. When he tried to return home, Estonian border authorities refused to let him enter the country and notified him that he was banned from Estonia and the rest of the Schengen Area for five years.

“I was told that my residence permit had been revoked because I’m a danger to the EU. They put me in a car, drove me to border checkpoint No. 2, took me to the bridge, gave me my passport, took my ID card, and that was it — I was left standing there on the bridge, with none of my possessions except my phone and my umbrella,” Neprimerov told Fontanka.

According to Estonian authorities, Neprimerov’s permit was revoked due to his active participation in pro-Russian protest rallies. “For years, Neprimerov took part in events in a provocative manner: he wore Russian flags, a Russian military uniform, and other Russian symbolism,” said officials.

Neprimerov told journalists he’s trying to appeal the decision in an Estonian court.

Follow Meduza in English on Twitter to stay up to date.