Since early 2022, thousands of opponents of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have tried to seek asylum in the US — only to face tightening immigration policies. With Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, those who hadn’t secured legal status in previous years found themselves in direct danger. Since early 2025, US authorities have deported two activists to Russia — Vladimir Mashinin and Leonid Melekhin. The first managed to escape; the second was placed in pre-trial detention last week for two months due to anti-war statements made in previous years. Julia Nikolaeva, a US immigration lawyer of Russian origin practicing in San Francisco for 15 years, confirms that the situation for asylum seekers in the States has significantly worsened, as has the overall attitude of authorities toward foreigners. We spoke with her about this.

#America #deportation #dictatorship #DonaldTrump #interview #personalexperience #society #petition #politicalasylum #protests #repressions #Russia #USA #Emigration

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Right-wing populism is not a universal ideology, and everything beyond anti-globalist and anti-immigrant sentiments is subject to tactical moves that have their local characteristics depending on the local agenda. Yet, it is possible to highlight the reasons for the successes of right-wing populists using the example of Marine Le Pen's party in France.

#Analytics #WarinUkraine #elections #democracy #europe #JeanMarieLePen #MarineLePin #society #rights #Putin #ultraright #France

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The loud «Freedom Flotilla for Gaza 2025» action last week was accompanied by many sympathetic comments, despite the senselessness and provocativeness of its content combined with the obvious promotional agenda of its participants. Using France as an example, one can see what European pro-Palestinian support forces rely on.

#conflict #society #policy

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According to several journalists, Trump was prepared for the unrest in California and even desired it to demonstrate to his voters his ability to restore law and order. However, in the fight against illegal immigrants, the U.S. president faced opposition from a large part of American society: diasporas, human rights activists, liberals, and even local authorities.‍

#emigration #society #policy

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At the time of the robbery, all the criminals were pensioners or just about to retire. In the French press, they were nicknamed Papys Braqueur – literally «Grandpa Robbers,» though a better translation into English would be «Old Men Bandits.» As one of them explained, their pensions barely covered living expenses. So they decided not to wait for state charity and to secure a comfortable retirement on their own. ‍

#society #west

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Let's put aside the «professionalism» of the Russian special services, who couldn't even identify a valuable asset and simply disposed of him in yet another offensive on the Ukrainian front. Nevertheless, this situation itself is quite telling. Of course, not every left-wing radical agrees to fight on Russia's side, but Michael Gloss's case as a whole illustrates rather problematic trends in Western society (and not only Western).‍

#conflict #society #vostok #war #west

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