Russia has intensified its crackdown on its citizens abroad eightfold

Following the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has significantly expanded its persecution of its own citizens outside the country. According to Mariana Katsarova, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia, the number of documented cases of transnational repression has increased eightfold over the past three years.

This is detailed in the report “Nowhere to Hide: The Export of the ‘Rule of Fear’ Beyond the Country’s Borders—Transnational Repression by the Russian Federation.”

 The document covers nearly 400 cases of persecution of Russians living abroad, as well as other people whom the Kremlin considers its opponents. Until 2022, an average of 29 such cases were recorded annually over an eight-year period; after the start of the full-scale war, this figure rose to 89.

According to Katsarova’s assessment, the Russian authorities have established a system of surveillance, intimidation, and punishment targeting critics of the regime who have left the country. This pressure may also extend to their relatives who remain in Russia.

The report lists murders, assassination attempts, assaults, and poisonings among the methods of persecution. According to Katsarova, at least nine FSB units, as well as military and foreign intelligence services, the prosecutor’s office, and federal ministries, are involved in such operations.

Moscow also uses international mechanisms to persecute people abroad, in particular by submitting requests through Interpol. At the same time, about half of such requests submitted by Russia in 2024 were rejected by the organization’s headquarters.

Source: Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine

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