Sweden detains former Ukrainian lawmaker Dmytro Sviatash and denies him entry
Swedish border police detained former Ukrainian lawmaker Dmytro Sviatash at Stockholm Arlanda Airport on October 22 and refused him entry. He is in custody while his lawyer opposes extradition to Ukraine and challenges his detention. Swedish authorities cited Poland's Schengen-wide re-entry ban, while his lawyer says the decision was politically motivated.
Key points
- Sviatash was detained at Stockholm Arlanda Airport on October 22 during passport control.
- He traveled to Sweden to attend a Stevie Wonder concert in Stockholm.
- Swedish authorities cited Poland's Schengen-wide re-entry ban as the reason for refusing entry.
- Sviatash is being held at a temporary detention facility operated by Sweden's Migration Agency in Mörsjärden.
- A Ukrainian court sentenced him in absentia in summer 2024 to 12 years in prison.
- He was convicted of justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and fraud involving 2.2 billion hryvnias.
- Swedish migration authorities denied an oral hearing; his defense must submit final written explanations by October 28.
Why it matters
The detention has created a new legal dispute over whether Sviatash can be extradited from Sweden to Ukraine. The case may affect the enforcement of his Ukrainian conviction, which remains under appeal, as well as the domestic criminal proceedings against him. The official explanation for the entry ban also differs from the defense's claim that it was politically motivated.
What happened
Swedish border police detained Sviatash at Stockholm Arlanda Airport on October 22 during passport control and denied him entry. He had presented a Ukrainian passport despite also holding Russian citizenship and said he was in Sweden to attend a Stevie Wonder concert in Stockholm. Swedish authorities said the refusal was based on Poland's re-entry ban recorded in the shared database of Schengen countries. Sviatash was placed in custody at a temporary detention facility in Mörsjärden. His lawyer challenged the detention and the entry refusal, while Sviatash opposes extradition to Ukraine. Sweden's migration court declined to hold an oral hearing and ordered his defense to submit final written explanations by October 28 before the court decides the case.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting emphasizes Sviatash's long parliamentary career, his conviction in absentia, his state-treason suspicion and the contested extradition request. It also highlights his Ukrainian and Russian citizenship, his 2019 departure for Russia and the continued domestic wanted status despite Interpol's reported withdrawal of its notice.
Where reporting differs
Swedish authorities officially cited Poland's Schengen-wide re-entry ban as the reason for refusing Sviatash entry, while his lawyer described the decision as politically motivated. Reports also differ on his Interpol status: some state that Interpol withdrew the international notice after his lawyers challenged it, while Ukrainian authorities continued to describe him as wanted.
Background
Sviatash served in Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, from 2002 to 2019. He represented the Party of Regions and later the Party of Revival in the eighth parliamentary convocation. He left Ukraine for Russia in 2019 and was subsequently placed on wanted lists. In summer 2024, a Ukrainian court sentenced him in absentia to 12 years in prison for justifying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and fraud involving 2.2 billion hryvnias. A reported October 2023 court decision said his extradition from Sweden to Ukraine was impossible because of the ongoing war.