Gago Makichyan, a Russian cellist of Armenian heritage, largely eschewed public political activism, even after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This stood in sharp contrast to his brother and fellow musician, Arshak Makichyan, a climate and political activist who openly protested the all-out war President Vladimir Putin launched in February 2022.
"I support what activists do, but activism is not for me.... I understood Arshak's decision to choose activism over a career as a musician. And I understand how difficult it was for him to make such a choice," Gago told RFE/RL's Russian Service in an interview.
The distinction appears to mean little to Russian authorities amid their tightening crackdown on dissent against the war: the brothers and their father have been stripped of their Russian citizenship and banned from the country for 50 years after being deemed threats to national security.
The ban and loss of citizenship, which the brothers call retribution for Arshak Makichyan's activism, has left the brothers stateless and forced them to scramble to build new lives in exile.
"I did not believe until the very end that we would be asked to leave the country," Gago told RFE/RL's Russian Service. "I planned to live in Russia even after receiving stateless-person status. I was born in Moscow, married to a Russian citizen. I have never participated in the activities of the opposition. I was sure that there was nothing to deport me for."
The Makichyans unsuccessfully challenged the cancellation of their citizenship, which a court based on alleged falsification of citizenship paperwork more than 15 years ago.
In February, Gago, 25, and his father were forced to leave Russia and banned from returning for 50 years after the Federal Security Service (FSB) determined they were national-security threats, according to records reviewed by RFE/RL.
"Obviously, we were kicked out because of my brother's activism -- I see no other explanation for this decision," Gago said.
'Politely Asked To Leave Russia Quickly'
An activist with the international Fridays for Future ecological movement founded by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, Arshak Makichyan, 29, had been arrested multiple times in Russia for unsanctioned environmental rallies and began openly protesting the war in Ukraine shortly after Putin's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
It was in October 2022, after Arshak had left Russia for Germany, that a Russian court canceled his citizenship along with that of his father and brother.
"I am a Russian-Armenian and I am not a fascist, that's why they are depriving me of my Russian citizenship. Let's fight together for a country that will be a place for all of us, not just for bloodthirsty murderers who belong in prison," Arshak wrote in a Facebook post following the decision.
The same day in February, security-service officers stopped the brothers' father and Gago in Moscow and informed them they were being banned from Russia for 50 years, according to Gago, a graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory.
"I was very politely asked to leave Russia quickly. I took advantage of this opportunity and left the country the same day," Gago told RFE/RL's Russian Service.
Adding to the evidence that the Makichyans were targeted for Arshak's political evidence rather than alleged passport irregularities more than a decade ago, a video report about Arshak was published days later on a Kremlin-loyal propaganda channel on Telegram indicating Russian security services had shadowed Gago's wedding in Moscow the previous month.
"It turns out they had even organized surveillance of me," Gago said. "I found out about this when I saw the video about Arshak. There was footage of my wedding that took place in January of this year -- very modest, without guests."
'Hit By A Stray Bullet'
Gago Makichyan has been playing cello since he was 6 years old and says he was working on solo projects, including an album release, that were interrupted by his expulsion from Russia.
In a Facebook post last week, he wrote that after he was expelled, he flew directly to Armenia, where he obtained a humanitarian visa for Germany and a travel document allowing him to settle in Berlin.
Asked whether his relationship with his brother had changed since his forced exile, Gago said that previously the two "often didn't have enough time for each other."
"But we have a warm relationship, we always supported each other. Now, after emigration and everything we experienced, we have become even closer," he said.
Gago told RFE/RL's Russian Service that he did not harbor ill-feelings toward his native country that stripped him of his citizenship and banned him from returning for five decades.
"It was not Russia that treated me this way, but only a small structure of the state system," he said. "I got hit by a stray bullet, but this does not mean that I will now have a bad attitude toward Russia."
"I want to return there as soon as I have the opportunity. I hope it arrives before my 75th birthday," he added.
