Mikhail Verbitsky has been released from custody in Armenia.

Mathematician Mikhail Verbitsky has been released from custody three days after being detained at Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport, but is still unable to leave Armenia.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on June 13 it was reported that Russian mathematician Mikhail Verbitsky was detained at Zvartnots Airport. Russia has placed him on the wanted list for charges of justifying terrorism and discrediting the army. His lawyer recommended that Verbitsky apply for asylum.

Verbitsky was released from custody today, 72 hours after his detention on June 12, his lawyer, Vache Simonyan, announced.

Verbitsky's release means that Russian law enforcement agencies have not yet submitted a request for his arrest to the Armenian prosecutor's office, he explained. "However, this does not rule out that such a request may come later," Armenia Today quotes Simonyan as saying.

The lawyer clarified that Verbitsky came to Armenia to participate in an event, but he is not yet able to leave the country. According to Simonyan, lawyers are trying to "resolve this issue," but the right of a person wanted by another country to leave "is not directly regulated by Armenian law."

"There are cases where people are denied extradition, but are unable to leave Armenia," he added.

Mikhail Verbitsky himself told reporters that he has a ticket to Israel, but he is forced to remain in Armenia - Armenian security forces are not allowing him to cross the border while he is wanted.

“I was detained because Russia put me on the wanted list. I knew about it, but I didn't know that I would be detained upon arriving in Armenia. I'd heard a lot of good things about Armenia, and it was unexpected. Many American and British journalists and writers are also wanted. If they had come to Armenia, would they have been detained too? I didn't expect that,” News.am quotes him as saying.

The mathematician, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, noted that he would be able to continue working at the University of Rio de Janeiro remotely while remaining in Armenia, as long as he has internet access. He also didn't rule out collaborating with local scientists.

Russian citizens who have moved to Armenia periodically face search warrants and extradition requests. Thus, on October 21, 2024, security forces in Yerevan detained Russian citizen Roman Shklover, who is suspected in Russia of publicly justifying terrorism. In Armenia, this act is not a crime, and detention for political reasons is a gross violation of human rights, stated human rights activist Artur Sakunts. On October 22, Shklover was released.

On August 5, 2025, it became known that Russian authorities had issued a request for Roman Shklover's extradition to Russia. In May, Kazan activist Mark Serov, who lives in Georgia, was detained upon entering Armenia; he is wanted in his home country for vandalism motivated by political hatred. According to Sakunts, in recent years Armenia has not extradited activists persecuted in their home country for their political views to Russia.

In October 2025, it became known that Russian citizen Liliya Manyukhina, convicted after posting anti-war leaflets in Moscow, had been arrested in Armenia. Human rights activists noted that Armenia regularly rejects Russia's extradition requests due to politically motivated persecution, but in Manyukhina's case, the courts did not see any political motives.