Swedish journalist refused entry to Kaliningrad

Gunnel Bergström was supposed to give lectures to Kaliningrad students but she was sent back to Stockholm straight from the Khrabrovo Airport.

On October 27, Gunnel Bergström a teacher of Swedish, journalist, author of a book “A trip around the amber land”, organizer of different projects in a sphere of public and cultural contacts with Sweden arrived to Kaliningrad. She was waiting for a meeting with students from the IKSUR whom she had prepared some lectures on design, fashion and geography. She was also going to find some followers of her new idea on Kaliningrad and Swedish kinder gardens cooperation.

Bergström was detained during the passport control procedure at the Khrabrovo airport for so long that all the other passengers had already had time to leave. The air-company “air-Baltic” representative later informed her that there is no entry to the Russian Federation for the Swedish journalist and she had to return to Stockholm.

This information was confirmed by the officer on duty of the airport and the reason according to his words is not known.

“I protest and demand an explanation” – wrote Gunnel, already back in Stockholm.

Gunnel Bergström is well-known in Kaliningrad – she came to Kaliningrad already 1991 as a tourist guide, journalist, and recently she has worked as a Swedish teacher and as a reporter on common Russian-Swedish events. She is a producer of a play about Strindberg that was many times shown in the Kaliningrad region, Sweden and Poland. She is also an author of literary soirées and many other cultural projects. She also wrote about Kaliningrad for a brochure of the Sida organization. None of the local organizations have paid any money for her trips, all of them were paid by the Swedish Institute or by Gunnel herself. No one have raised any claims before and this is why all her colleagues and friends are perplexed why she was claimed as persona non grata. Moreover Gunnel Bergström was invited here by the Swedish Consulate in Kaliningrad.

One of the possible reasons may be articles written by Gunnel Bergström as a protest against the gas pipes that Russia and Germany are going to stretch to Europe at the bottom of the Baltic sea. The other possible reason may be her critical attitude to Kaliningrad drinking water situation and sewerage system problems.

- If it’s really because of those reasons then doesn’t everyone in Kaliningrad and in Russia know them? – says Gunnel. – I would call this bewilderment pure Swedish – citizens of my country are sure every person has a right to bring up any question to the authorities.

“The reason may be even in statements made in summer by Vladimir Putin, the PM of Russia that I read in Swedish mass-media, - writes Gunnel Bergström in her letter to her colleagues-journalists. – Our newspapers said that Putin had said that foreign teachers distribute extremist ideology among our students.

It may take a lot of time guessing but the fact remains – Gunnel Bergström’s visa wasn’t expired but she can not enter Russia.
The newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” sent a letter of inquiry to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in Kaliningrad. Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that authorities had already gotten the information about the journalist not let in to the region. An investigation is carried out at the moment.

Article originally by Komsomolskaya Pravda