Russia bans Israeli student after likes on LGBT and Ukraine posts

Russian authorities have barred an Israeli and Ukrainian citizen studying in Russia from entering the country after checking her phone and social media activity. On October 21, Mediazona reported that her likes included posts about LGBT issues and the Ukrainian army. The outlet examined a court decision and interviewed the student, using the name Noa Cohen at her request.

Cohen said she had studied in Russia since 2021 and traveled there on a student visa issued to her as an Israeli citizen. In summer 2025 she flew from Minsk to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Border officers took her phone and she waited about seven hours for questioning. She was refused entry and sent back to Minsk.

According to the documents described by Mediazona, officers noted likes on posts about LGBT issues, Ukrainian soldiers and politicians, as well as subscriptions and other material on her phone. The court decision says an FSB officer interpreted the findings as a threat to Russian security; it also alleges that the student misled officials. Cohen said the likes reflected her personal views and some could have been accidental; she said she had not called for any action.

She unsuccessfully challenged the refusal through a lawyer. During the proceedings, the FSB presented a separate decision banning her entry; the report does not specify its duration or the date it was issued.

Uránia previously reported on a separate case: in September 2026, Russian LGBT activist Yaroslav Sirotkin was sentenced in absentia to four years in a penal colony, in part over a case connected to posts on his Telegram channel.