Lithuania’s top court rules in favour of Russian lawyer after residency permit revoked

Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court has overturned a decision to revoke the temporary residency permit of prominent Russian human rights lawyer Mikhail Benyash, ordering the Migration Department to reinstate his right to live in the country, LRT reports.

Benyash, a lawyer from Krasnodar who previously defended activists and protesters in Russian courts, lost his Lithuanian residency permit after making two trips to Belarus to meet and accompany his seven-year-old son. Migration authorities ruled the visits violated Lithuania’s restrictions on travel to Russia and Belarus for Russian citizens residing in the country.

The court recognised the trips—during which Benyash met his son at Minsk airport before sending him back to his mother in Russia—as justified, annulling the Migration Department’s decision. The lawyer had argued that Lithuanian institutions failed to consider his explanations or the humanitarian purpose of his travel.

Benyash fled Russia in 2022 after facing repression for criticising the war in Ukraine, including fines for “discrediting the army,” placement on the “foreign agent” registry, and the revocation of his law licence. In Lithuania, he worked as a plumber while awaiting resolution of his legal status. The Migration Department’s ruling had left him without both residency and the right to work.

In an interview with LRT, Benyash described the court’s decision as proof of Lithuania’s “healthier, more independent” judicial system compared to Russia’s. He acknowledged, however, that many Russians in Lithuania live in fear of arbitrary scrutiny by migration or state security bodies, which may interpret past associations—such as old photos from a stadium, former employment at state-linked firms like Gazprom, or military service—as threats to national security.

Benyash stated he now hopes to work in construction and eventually contribute to rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure.