A 26-year-old Russian who protested against Putin’s regime has been found dead in London after his asylum bid was rejected.
Alexander Frolov was found dead in Acton, west London, on July 28, after waiting for more than a year for an appeal hearing.
His friends said they believe he took his own life due to the mental strain and feeling hopeless at the thought of being sent back to Russia.
Alexander originally came to the UK under a temporary visa as an agricultural worker in 2021.
But when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he could not return home because he ‘refused to take part in killing people’, his friend Galina Shakirova said.
Alexander submitted his asylum application in December 2022, but it was rejected in April 2024, according to the I.
He lodged an appeal and was waiting for his hearing to be rescheduled when he died.
The Russian Democratic Society described him as a ‘dedicated opponent of Putin’s regime, a volunteer who gave his time to help others, and a constant presence at anti-war protests’.
They said: ‘Alexander believed in the possibility of a free and democratic Russia and hoped to one day return to it.’
Galina said she met Alexander as they worked as stewards at anti-war rally.
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She said he was ‘kind, generous, quietly dependable’, but proving oppression to the UK Home Office was hard.
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‘Imagine being an opposition activist who knows that returning home almost certainly means prison. You’ve spoken out publicly. You’ve worked with organisations labelled in Russia as “undesirable” or “extremist”,’ she said.
‘Then you ask for protection – hoping for safety, for a chance to survive. And instead, you’re refused.’
The Home Office said: ‘It is our long-standing policy not to comment on individual cases.’
How many Russians have been offered political asylum in the UK?
Since 2022, 759 Russians have been granted refugee status in the UK.
Another 465 have been refused, and 154 are awaiting decisions.
Of these, 98 have been waiting longer than six months.
Meanwhile there are thought to be 1,500 political prisoners in Russia.
Many have been prosecuted for anti-war activities, with the Kremlin only recently allowing Russians to describe the invasion of Ukraine as a war – instead forcing them to say a ‘tactical military operation’.
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