Canada reverses course after blocking Russian anti-war activist’s citizenship

Maria Kartasheva's in-absentia conviction over blogposts about Ukraine war threatened application for Canadian citizenship

Canada has reversed course after initially blocking a Russian anti-war activist from receiving citizenship because she had run afoul of Moscow's harsh laws criminalizing dissent over the invasion of Ukraine.

Maria Kartasheva's plight had baffled immigration lawyers and exposed the confusing reality of Canada's immigration bureaucracy. Last year, the 30-year-old was charged and convicted by Russian prosecutors of violating a law barring criticism of the military. And even though her opinions mirrored Canada's foreign policy, the conviction threatened to derail her application for Canadian citizenship.