Russian national Denis Kulanin, who was convicted in Tbilisi following his participation in protests and later pardoned by the president, will not be allowed to leave Georgia on September 1 despite holding a purchased ticket to a third country. According to his lawyer, Tsiala Ratiani, this was announced by a case manager at the immigration detention center.
The information was released by the APUS platform, a civic and volunteer initiative that assists individuals in crisis and difficult situations (including human rights and humanitarian aid, as well as support for refugees and civilians).
According to the migration officer, the agency plans to file a court petition seeking his expulsion. He will only be permitted to leave the country once a court ruling has been issued.
Lawyers who regularly handle foreign deportation and expulsion cases note that the Migration Department previously did not require foreign nationals to await a court ruling if they were departing the country voluntarily at their own expense.
“In light of this, these new requirements—which have not been part of the Migration Department’s prior practice—are particularly alarming, as they effectively obstruct the foreign citizen’s departure. During the August 30 hearing, neither the court nor the Migration Department representative objected to his departure from Georgia,” the APUS statement reads.
According to human rights advocates, the risk of his potential deportation to Russia has escalated once again. Mechanisms are currently being developed to engage international organizations for assistance.
As a reminder, Russian citizen Denis Kulanin was detained on March 28, 2025, on Rustaveli Avenue during pro-European protests. He was charged with damaging an Interior Ministry (MVD) vehicle and sentenced to two years in prison. A few days ago, on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Mariamoba), Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili pardoned 226 individuals, including Kulanin. However, because he is a foreign national, he was not released outright but was instead transferred from prison to the Migration Department.
Denis Kulanin faced deportation to Russia; however, according to his lawyer, deportation to the Russian Federation is inadmissible and dangerous, as he had sent a letter from prison wishing peace and glory to Ukraine. Under the law, Kulanin had the right to choose to leave Georgia for a third country rather than Russia, and he opted to do so.
