Staņislavs Bukains. Photo: baltnews.com
A Latvian man who crossed illegally into Russia by paddleboard after apparently abducting his own daughter has applied for political asylum in the western Pskov region, state-affiliated newspaper Izvestia reported on Saturday.
Staņislavs Bukains crossed the River Zilupe, which forms the border between Latvia and Russia, with his five-year-old daughter on 21 July, Latvian news outlet Delfi reported on Wednesday.
Bukains had earlier failed to return his daughter Monica to her mother, who is her legal guardian, after a parental visit, prompting the Latvian police to initiate criminal proceedings over the kidnapping of a minor and report the abduction to INTERPOL.
Bukains, a pro-Russian activist, was charged by the Latvian police in October 2023 for operating Baltic Antifascists, an illegal organisation which, according to the Latvian State Security Service, “coordinates actions against Latvia’s national security”, regularly publishes pro-Russian propaganda and collects donations for the Russian military. Bukains, who was released on bail after being charged, faces between 10 years and life imprisonment if found guilty, Delfi wrote.
Russian propagandist television host Vladimir Solovyov wrote on Friday that Bukains was facing “criminal prosecution for travelling to Russia and was also suspected of espionage”, adding that the authorities in Russia’s Pskov region, which borders Latvia, were now processing Bukains’ request that he and his daughter be granted refugee status.
The Latvian Foreign Ministry said that it had approached the Russian authorities to request information about Bukains and his daughter, and asked them to take the necessary steps to return Bukains and his daughter to Latvia, the Baltic News Network reported on Wednesday.
“We hope that Russia will not politicise this matter and return the child to her mother, her legal guardian, as soon as possible,” Latvian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Diāna Eglīte told Delfi on Wednesday.
