The United Nations high commissioner for refugees is deeply troubled by the disappearance of Russian opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev in Kyiv, the UN Refugee Agency said on its website.

The functioning of the shelter provision system requires that people seeking international protection should be confident of the presence of a fair and level playing field within the shelter provision system, which would allow them to voice their complaints, as well as make sure that their rights, including the right to physical integrity and the protection of personal information, are observed in full and protected by their country of stay, it said.

If persons applying for shelter are turned over to their home countries without respect toward the existing procedures, it could lead to a situation where this state could be held to account for a gross violation of national and international legislation, it said.

The agency hopes that this incident will be investigated thoroughly by law enforcement services and is expecting the results of the official inquiry.