The FSB has begun publishing staged videos of political prisoners' arrests more frequently, according to Memorial

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) has been posting short videos online with significantly greater frequency, showing the arrests of individuals who are being prosecuted in politically motivated criminal cases. 

The authors of the study analyzed 70 criminal cases in which the defendants appeared in such FSB video recordings.

According to observations by Memorial, after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Telegram channels of the state propaganda agencies TASS and RIA Novosti began mentioning the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation two to three times more frequently. At the same time, the proportion of reports mentioning the FSB that were accompanied by video footage has nearly doubled during the years of full-scale war.

Human rights activists emphasize that such videos cannot be considered an accurate reflection of events. In particular, footage of arrests may contradict the testimony of detainees as recorded in criminal case files. Furthermore, confessions recorded on video are often obtained under torture.

According to representatives of “Memorial,” these materials primarily serve a propaganda function and reveal more about the methods of the security service itself than about the circumstances of the cases.

Researchers have identified five typical narrative blocks used in such videos:

• surveillance footage;
• the arrest of a suspect;
• demonstration of the results of a search or inspection;
• transportation of the detainee;
• confession.

Operational footage in which a person is allegedly filmed directly during the preparation or commission of a crime occurs in only six of the 70 cases examined. Human rights activists explain this by noting that it is difficult to capture a suspect in advance while a crime is allegedly being committed, and the resulting footage does not always look particularly compelling.

At the same time, according to “Memorial,” all six cases in which such surveillance footage was used were linked to provocations by the FSB.

According to human rights activists, law enforcement officials try to make the arrest scenes as violent and dynamic as possible. In the videos, suspects are thrown to the ground, their arms are twisted behind their backs, and they are grabbed by the hair.

According to “Memorial,” approximately a quarter of such scenes are staged. This is indicated, in particular, by instances where cameramen arrive at the scene before the security forces, and the detainees’ behavior appears unnatural.

For example, a person may show no reaction to the approach of armed officers until the very last moment, or, immediately after falling to the ground, calmly and fluently answer their questions.

Since filming rarely succeeds on the first take, arrests are often staged in deserted locations. In such videos, suspects are shown walking among garages or in the middle of an open field.

Confessions may also be recorded multiple times until the special service agents are satisfied with the detainee’s tone and wording.

According to human rights activists, detainees are coerced into participating in such video recordings through both physical violence and deception.

Crimean artist Bogdan Ziza said that FSB operatives recorded at least five versions of his confession and apologies. According to him, security service officers beat him when they felt he was not showing sufficient remorse.

The text of the confession was changed each time, and the new wording had to be approved by management each time.

Another case involves Georgy Tabuev, a resident of Donetsk. According to “Memorial,” FSB officers promised him two years in prison if he unpacked a package containing explosives in front of a camera.

Tabuev agreed to the proposed terms but ultimately received a 14-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, the video recorded with his participation was never released.

Human rights activists believe that staged videos of arrests have become a full-fledged tool of political repression in Russia.

According to researchers, the FSB uses such materials to intimidate opponents of the government, create a sense of total control by the security services in society, and impose its own version of events.

Thus, the video recordings of arrests disseminated by Russian law enforcement agencies do not always reflect the actual course of events. As “Memorial” emphasizes, they should be viewed primarily as a propaganda tool designed to shape the narrative favored by the authorities regarding the work of the security services and the persecution of individuals in political cases.

As human rights defenders from the “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial” project have found, a significant portion of these videos are staged and are used to intimidate opponents of the Russian government and to demonstrate the alleged effectiveness of the security services.

As a reminder, Russian propaganda is spreading yet another fake story about allegedly staged footage of the aftermath of attacks in Ukraine. To this end, three photos of a man with a small dog were published online, purportedly taken after shelling in Dnipro, Kyiv, and Rivne. However, two of the images turned out to have been generated using artificial intelligence.

In addition, Russian propaganda is spreading a fake statement purportedly issued by the Kramatorsk City Military Administration regarding the seizure of property for the benefit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The city council has officially denied this information.