TL;DR
Get movie nights delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Yelena Morgunova told Meduza that Russian authorities detained her twice after she returned to visit relatives in August, and that she faced threats against her family and pressure to leave the country. She has since left Russia and is traveling to Paris to reunite with her husband, performance artist Pavel Krisevich.
Yelena Morgunova, the wife of Russian performance artist Pavel Krisevich, says she was detained twice after returning to Russia to visit relatives and faced threats against her family before leaving the country. In an interview published by Meduza on October 14, Morgunova described the arrests and said she is traveling to Paris to join Krisevich, who announced on October 10 that she had managed to leave Russia, after a Russian court sentenced her to 14 more days in jail.
Morgunova said she went back to Russia after living in France with Krisevich, explaining that she wanted to see her family and had hoped to continue visiting the country. She told Meduza that she did not expect to be detained: she had kept a low public profile, made her social media accounts private and had not taken part in her husband’s protests. She also said she had lived in Moscow for months after Krisevich left without problems.
According to Morgunova, police stopped a bus carrying her and her mother as they traveled toward the Ryazan region on August 28. Officers said they were checking the passports of people returning from countries described as “unfriendly,” she told Meduza. At the police station, she said, officers asked whether her husband was a “foreign agent.” The interview’s headline says she described two arrests, but the available account does not provide a full chronology or detail of both detentions.
Morgunova also described pressure and threats involving her family and an ultimatum to leave Russia. The details of those threats are her account as reported by Meduza; the material provided does not include an official account from Russian authorities. She said that after leaving, she traveled through Europe by train because her dog, Céline, has a short snout and she was concerned flying could pose a health risk. She plans to seek French family reunification status and permission to work.
The Cost of Returning to Russia
Morgunova’s account shows the personal risks faced by relatives of a prominent protest artist who return to Russia, even when, as she says, they have avoided public activism. Her reported detention followed a period in which she believed she could visit family without attracting official attention. That gap between expectation and outcome is central to her account.
Her departure also leaves practical consequences unresolved. Morgunova told Meduza that her earlier humanitarian visa had expired, and that she and Krisevich had struggled to secure stable accommodation in France. She is seeking a legal route to reunite with her husband and work, while also hoping to support relatives she may not be able to see. Her experience links alleged pressure in Russia with the difficulties of establishing a life in exile.
dog travel carrier for short snout breeds
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From France Back to Ryazan
Krisevich and Morgunova had been living in France since late 2025, according to Meduza, after leaving Russia on a humanitarian visa. Krisevich had served two jail terms for administrative offenses, the report said. The couple arrived in France on June 3 and initially lived in an occupied former office with other Russian-speaking artists and creative workers, Morgunova said.
She told Meduza that the couple expected their housing situation to be temporary, but paperwork took longer than anticipated. Krisevich eventually received temporary accommodation in a refugee dormitory, while Morgunova stayed briefly with acquaintances and then returned to Russia to see her mother. She said she had also hoped to find work in France, but lacked permission to work and believed it was difficult to obtain a work visa from within the country.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Details of the Detentions
The account available here does not specify the full circumstances, duration or legal basis of both arrests, nor does it identify the people responsible for the reported threats or ultimatum. The claims about pressure against Morgunova and her family come from her interview; no response from Russian authorities is included in the source material. It is also unclear whether she has filed a formal complaint or whether any investigation is under way.
Her French immigration status is unsettled as well. Morgunova said her humanitarian visa had expired and that she planned to apply for family reunification, but the interview does not establish whether she has submitted an application or when she might receive a residence or work permit.
French family reunification visa guide
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Morgunova Plans to Rejoin Krisevich
Morgunova said she was traveling by train to Paris to join Krisevich and planned to apply for family reunification and permission to work in France. She said she would look for a job so she could earn money and help her relatives. The timing and outcome of those applications were not stated.
The next developments will depend on whether she can secure residence and work authorization in France, and whether further details emerge about the detentions and alleged threats. For now, Krisevich’s October 10 announcement and Morgunova’s account to Meduza establish that she has left Russia; the legal status of her return to France and the circumstances of both arrests remain open questions.
portable passport holder with RFID protection
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Who is Yelena Morgunova?
Morgunova is the wife of Russian performance artist Pavel Krisevich. She and Krisevich had been living in France after leaving Russia on a humanitarian visa, according to Meduza.
When was Morgunova detained?
Morgunova told Meduza that police stopped her and her mother while they were traveling in the Ryazan region on August 28. The report describes two arrests, but the account provided does not give the full chronology of both.
Why had she returned to Russia?
She said she wanted to visit relatives and had also been looking for work and dealing with housing difficulties in France. She said she did not expect to be detained because she had kept a low profile.
Where is Morgunova now?
She told Meduza she had left Russia and was traveling by train to Paris to join Krisevich. She said she planned to apply for family reunification and permission to work in France.
Have Russian authorities commented on her account?
No official response is included in the source material. The reported threats, ultimatum and details of the arrests are presented as Morgunova’s account to Meduza.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
