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Russia country conditions weekly digest
November 1-8, 2026

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The Russia Country Conditions Weekly Digest (RCC Digest) presents a selection of significant developments relevant to assessing conditions in Russia. This issue covers November 1–8, 2026. The digest is intended for U.S. immigration adjudicators, immigration attorneys and country conditions researchers. It brings together reports by international organizations and human rights groups, changes in legislation and judicial practice and documented cases of persecution and other human rights violations. Each entry includes a brief summary, identifies the original source and provides a direct link to the publication. In the Russian original of this digest, English-language sources are summarized in Russian, and quotations from them are provided in our translation. The digest is intended for informational and research purposes and does not constitute legal advice.

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1. Reports and research

1.1. Russia’s withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture takes effect, ending independent monitoring of places of detention

November 1, 2026 | Council of Europe​

On November 1, 2026, the Russian Federation’s withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment took effect. Russia notified the Council of Europe of its denunciation on October 30, 2025. As a result, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) lost its authority to visit places of detention in Russia.

  • Scope of previous monitoring. Between 1998 and 2021, the CPT made 30 visits to Russia and visited more than 450 places of detention, including 10 visits to Chechnya and other North Caucasus republics between 2000 and 2017.

  • Withholding of findings. Russian authorities authorized the publication of only four committee reports. The remaining reports were never made public.

  • The CPT’s assessment. Committee President Alan Mitchell said that Russia’s withdrawal marked the end of the CPT’s monitoring mandate in the country, as well as “the end of any independent monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty inside the Russian Federation.”

Sources: Council of Europe, European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. Russia officially withdraws from the Council of Europe’s anti-torture Convention, Nov 1, 2026. Language: English. Quotations were provided in translation in the Russian original of this digest. URL: https://www.coe.int/en/web/cpt/-/russia-officially-withdraws-from-the-council-of-europe-s-anti-torture-convention; OVD-Info. Russia withdraws from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture. What this means, Nov 3, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/03/rossiya-vyshla-iz-evropeyskoy-konvencii-po-preduprezhdeniyu-pytok-chto-eto

 

1.2. UN Special Rapporteur: Russia recruits Indigenous people, migrants and prisoners for the war, while Ukrainian prisoners of war are tried as “terrorists”

November 3–4, 2026 | Ukrinform, Euromaidan Press

In interviews with Ukrainian media, Mariana Katzarova, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia, described recruitment practices for the war against Ukraine and the treatment of Ukrainian captives.

  • Indigenous peoples. Mobilization affects small Indigenous peoples, including the Selkups (approximately 3,000–3,500 people) and the Udege. According to Katzarova, some of these peoples are already facing the threat of extinction.

  • Migrants and asylum seekers. Migrants, primarily from Central Asia, and asylum seekers are often coerced into signing contracts. Foreign nationals from Africa, Latin America and Asia, including Sri Lanka and Nepal, are lured through human trafficking networks with promises of civilian jobs. In Russia, they are subjected to ill-treatment and torture and then forced to sign military contracts.

  • Prisoners. Convicted prisoners, including those convicted of particularly serious crimes, are recruited into the military. Criminal proceedings against service members who commit violent crimes after returning from the front are suspended if they sign a new contract. Katzarova called this a “revolving door.”

  • Ukrainian prisoners of war. According to Katzarova, perhaps 90% of Ukrainian captives whose cases reach Russian courts, including prisoners of war, face terrorism-related charges. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, more than 96% of the 853 released Ukrainian prisoners of war interviewed between February 24, 2022, and May 31, 2026, reported torture or ill-treatment; among women, the figure was 32 out of 36.

Ms. Katzarova cited the case of Ukrainian civilian detainee Natalia Vlasova. Vlasova told a military court in Rostov-on-Don that she had been tortured and gang-raped. Instead of ordering an investigation, the court sentenced her to 18 years and 2 months in prison.

Sources: Ukrinform. Russia sending migrants, asylum seekers, convicts to fight in Ukraine – UN expert, Nov 3, 2026. Language: English. Quotations were provided in translation in the Russian original of this digest. URL: https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4181136-russia-sending-migrants-asylum-seekers-convicts-to-fight-in-ukraine-un-expert.html; Euromaidan Press. Russia tries Ukrainian prisoners in its courts as terrorists: perhaps 90% of those tried face terrorism-related charges, the UN Special Rapporteur on Russia says, Nov 4, 2026. Language: English. Quotations were provided in translation in the Russian original of this digest. URL: https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/11/04/russia-tries-ukrainian-prisoners-in-its-courts-as-terrorists-perhaps-90-of-those-tried-face-terrorism-related-charges-the-un-special-rapporteur-on-russia-says/

 

1.3. First Department: more sentences handed down on “terrorism” charges in the first nine months of 2026 than in all of 2025

November 6, 2026 | First Department

The human rights project First Department, together with Parubets Analytics, published an analysis of sentences handed down under terrorism provisions from January through September 2026.

  • Record number of sentences. Courts handed down 1,865 sentences against 2,013 people, 5% more than in all of 2025, when 1,776 sentences were handed down. An average of 12 people were convicted per working day

  • Quarterly growth. There were 449 sentences in the first quarter, 696 in the second and 720 in the third. July had the highest number, at 295. The median time to adjudicate a case fell from 47 days in the first quarter to 37 days.

  • Charges. A total of 785 people were convicted solely under Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code (justification of terrorism). The share of Article 205.1 cases (assistance to terrorist activities) rose from 9.8% to 14.8%. In addition, 175 people were convicted under “extremism” provisions as well, and 203 under treason or espionage provisions as well. Fifty-nine people were ordered to undergo compulsory treatment.

  • Military courts. Four district military courts handed down 1,617 sentences. The Southern District Military Court, which also hears cases from the occupied territories of Ukraine, had the highest number, at 682.

  • Secrecy. Personal information was withheld for 1,312 convicted individuals, or 65.2%.

Source: First Department. By October, courts had handed down more sentences for “terrorism” than in any previous full year, Nov 6, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://dept.one/story/terrorism2026-3kvartal/

 

1.4. Mediazona: at least 91 criminal cases opened since 2023 over donations to Artpodgotovka

November 5, 2026 | Mediazona

Using publicly available sources, Mediazona counted at least 91 criminal cases involving the financing of Artpodgotovka, a movement founded by émigré politician Vyacheslav Maltsev. The movement was designated “extremist” in 2017 and later “terrorist.”

  • Trends. One case was opened in 2023, seven in 2024, 37 in 2025, and 46 in the first ten months of 2026

  • Charges. Sixty-four cases concern financing terrorism under Article 205.1(1.1) of the Criminal Code, 15 concern financing extremism under Article 282.3(1) and another 12 involve charges under both provisions.

  • Sentences. Sentences are known in 62 cases; 52 resulted in custodial terms ranging from 6 to 25 years. Donors most often receive 9–10 years.

  • Age of the transfers. Most cases concern donations made in 2021–2024; the earliest donation dates to 2019.

  • Source of the data. Maltsev collected donations through services controlled by the Russian authorities, including YooMoney and DonationAlerts. Law enforcement agencies obtain information about transfers, including older ones.

  • Torture. Eight Maltsev supporters accused of preparing to blow up a train carrying military products in the Orenburg region have told the court that FSB officers tortured them: they were hit with stun guns, had their joints twisted and were kicked.

The outlet also cites examples of lengthy sentences for ties to the movement: 19 years for conversations with a female acquaintance about Artpodgotovka, which were treated as recruitment, and 15 years for graffiti and posting excerpts from Maltsev’s broadcasts.

Sources: Mediazona. Olga Romashova. Maltsev’s army. Law enforcement agencies are increasingly imprisoning Russians for old donations to Artpodgotovka—at least 91 cases opened in three years, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/article/2026/11/05/artdonations; Mediazona. At least 91 cases opened in Russia since 2023 over donations to Maltsev and Artpodgotovka; defendants receive 9–10 years in prison, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/05/arta-9-let

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1.5. Committee to Protect Journalists: number of imprisoned journalists in Russia reaches a record high

November 6, 2026 | Committee to Protect Journalists

  • Closure of Novaya Gazeta. The publication was prompted by the closure of Novaya Gazeta. According to CPJ, the newspaper will cease to exist on Monday, November 9, after a years-long campaign of repression. Five of its journalists were killed over more than 30 years.

  • Record number of imprisoned journalists. According to CPJ, 31 journalists are currently detained or imprisoned in Russia, the highest number since the organization began keeping records. In 2025, Russia was the world’s fourth-worst jailer of journalists, with 27 behind bars.

  • Killings of journalists. Since 1992, at least 60 journalists have been killed in Russia because of their work; a connection to their work is suspected in another 24 cases. CPJ has documented at least 40 targeted murders.

  • Legal instruments. The organization describes the laws on “foreign agents” (a status assigned to approximately 550 journalists and media outlets, according to OVD-Info), “undesirable” organizations (at least 27 media outlets as of February 2026; CPJ itself was designated “undesirable” in May 2026) and military censorship (up to 15 years in prison for “false information” about the military).

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists. Post-mortem of a ‘killing’: How the Russian state forced Novaya Gazeta to close, Nov 6, 2026. Language: English. Quotations were provided in translation in the Russian original of this digest. URL: https://cpj.org/2026/11/post-mortem-of-a-killing-how-the-russian-state-forced-novaya-gazeta-to-close/

 

1.6. Mediazona and BBC Russian confirm deaths of at least 350 conscripts and 668 service members who signed contracts during compulsory military service

November 6, 2026 | Mediazona, BBC Russian

Mediazona, together with BBC Russian and volunteers, updated its list of Russian service members killed in the war against Ukraine. The list identifies individuals by name and relies exclusively on publicly available, verifiable sources: relatives’ posts, regional media reports and statements by local authorities. It is a documented minimum, not an estimate of total losses.

  • Total losses. As of November 6, 2026, the deaths of at least 285,881 service members had been confirmed, including 7,983 officers; 2,888 names were added between October 22 and November 6. An estimate based on Probate Registry data, developed jointly with Meduza, puts the death toll at approximately 352,000 by the end of December 2025.

  • Conscripts. The deaths of at least 350 conscripts who had not signed contracts have been confirmed; volunteers separately rechecked every entry. On March 8, 2022, however, Vladimir Putin stated that conscripts “are not participating and will not participate in combat operations.” From May 2022 through August 2024, monthly deaths among conscripts rarely exceeded 10. A sharp increase began after Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region in August 2024. According to the outlet, conscripts were deliberately kept in the combat zone in the Kursk region in the months that followed as well.

  • Contracts signed during compulsory service. At least 668 of those killed had signed contracts during their compulsory military service. The authors note that pressure on conscripts to sign contracts has intensified. Nominally “one-year” contracts are effectively indefinite: they remain in force until the decree on “partial mobilization” is revoked. The authors estimate that the actual number is substantially higher.

Source: Mediazona, BBC Russian. Russian losses in the war with Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated, Nov 6, 2026. Language: English. Quotations were provided in translation in the Russian original of this digest. URL: https://en.zona.media/article/2026/11/06/casualties_eng-trl

 

2. Persecution for participation in and financing of “undesirable” and “extremist” organizations

2.1. Zhanna Nemtsova sentenced in absentia to four years in a penal colony for her work at the Boris Nemtsov Foundation

November 5, 2026 | OVD-Info

Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky Court sentenced journalist Zhanna Nemtsova in absentia to four years in a penal colony under Article 284.1(3) of the Criminal Code (directing the activities of an “undesirable” organization). She was also barred from administering online resources for eight years. The prosecutor had requested five years in a penal colony.

  • The case concerns her work at the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom, which she founded after her father’s murder. The foundation supports independent Russian-language media, journalists, activists and human rights defenders. It was designated “undesirable” in 2024.

  • The prosecution’s evidence included a recording of her speech in Budva, Montenegro, about the foundation’s work and a comment to journalists about the organization’s “undesirable” designation.

  • In July, the court ordered her arrest in absentia; in September, it became known that she had been placed on an international wanted list. She left Russia in 2015 after receiving threats.

Source:

OVD-Info. Zhanna Nemtsova sentenced in absentia to four years in a penal colony for her work at her father’s foundation, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/05/zhannu-nemcovu-zaochno-prigovorili-k-chetyrem-godam-kolonii-za-rabotu-v

 

2.2. The Insider founder Roman Dobrokhotov sentenced in absentia to five and a half years in a penal colony

November 2, 2026 | OVD-Info

Moscow’s Cheryomushkinsky Court sentenced The Insider founder Roman Dobrokhotov in absentia to five and a half years in a penal colony under Article 284.1(3) of the Criminal Code (directing the activities of an “undesirable” organization). He was also barred from administering online resources for five years; the prosecutor had requested six years in a penal colony. The charges refer to two videos featuring the journalist: one about GRU officers and another about the investigation into Alexei Navalny’s murder. The Insider was designated an “undesirable” organization in July 2022, and Dobrokhotov was added to the “foreign agents” register in April 2022.

Source: OVD-Info. The Insider founder Roman Dobrokhotov sentenced in absentia to five and a half years in a penal colony, Nov 2, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/02/osnovatelya-insider-romana-dobrokhotova-zaochno-prigovorili-k-55-godam

 

2.3. Reforum Space venues abroad and a Georgian opposition party designated “undesirable”

November 5, 2026 | Mediazona, Rosbalt

The list of “undesirable” organizations has been expanded.

  • Reforum Space. The Ministry of Justice added four Reforum Space venues in Tallinn, Tbilisi, Vilnius and Berlin to the “undesirable” list. The venues are affiliated with the Free Russia Foundation, which describes them as “‘gathering points’ for antiwar projects and support for activists, media outlets, human rights defenders, scholars and cultural figures in exile.” The Paris venue was added to the list in July.

  • The Droa! party. The Georgian opposition party Droa! was designated “undesirable,” according to the Prosecutor General’s Office. Droa! was registered in Georgia in 2021 and is part of the opposition Coalition for Change. According to the agency, the party opposes the normalization of relations between Moscow and Tbilisi, and its representatives consider Abkhazia and South Ossetia territories occupied by Russia.

Sources: Mediazona. Four Reforum Space venues added to the register of “undesirable” organizations, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/05/reforum; Rosbalt. Prosecutor General’s Office designates Georgian party Droa! “undesirable” in Russia, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://www.rosbalt.ru/news/2026-11-05/genprokuratura-priznala-gruzinskuyu-partiyu-droa-nezhelatelnoy-v-rf-5724937

 

2.4. Cases against university instructors over 2021–2022 donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation continue in St. Petersburg

November 2 and 5, 2026 | Mediazona

Criminal cases against university instructors over donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) continue in St. Petersburg.

  • Igor Zaitsev’s sentence (November 5). The Kuibyshevsky District Court imposed a three-year suspended prison sentence on Igor Zaitsev, 58, who holds a Candidate of Sciences degree in philosophy, under Article 282.3(1) of the Criminal Code (financing extremism). The case arose from seven donations of 500 rubles each between August 5, 2021, and February 5, 2022; the court confiscated 3,500 rubles. Zaitsev was placed in pretrial detention after an August search. The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a video in which he says, “I supported Alexei Navalny personally.” Zaitsev previously taught at the European University and the Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities.

  • Trial of an HSE instructor (November 2). The Dzerzhinsky District Court began hearing the case of a 69-year-old Higher School of Economics (HSE) instructor charged under the same provision. According to the prosecution, she transferred a total of 3,000 rubles to FBK between August 7, 2021, and January 28, 2022. She pleaded guilty; Mediazona is withholding her name at her request.

According to Mediazona’s count as of April 21, 2026, 225 cases involving donations to FBK had been opened in 64 regions. The decision designating FBK an “extremist” organization took effect on August 4, 2021; both instructors began donating after that date.

Sources: Mediazona. St. Petersburg philosophy instructor receives a three-year suspended sentence in an FBK donations case, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/05/zaicev; Mediazona. Trial begins in St. Petersburg of a 69-year-old HSE instructor over donations to FBK, Nov 2, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/02/fbk; Mediazona. 225 cases in 64 regions. Law enforcement agencies continue to prosecute FBK donors nationwide, Apr 21, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/article/2026/04/21/donates-april2026; Interfax. Decision designating FBK an extremist organization takes effect, Aug 4, 2021. Language: Russian. URL: https://www.interfax.ru/russia/782576

 

3. “Foreign agent” status, registers, and persecution of emigrants

3.1. Russia ratifies a CIS agreement on exchanging information about debtors’ income, property, and bank accounts

November 2, 2026 | Radio Liberty

Vladimir Putin signed a law ratifying an agreement on exchanging information in the compulsory enforcement of court judgments and decisions by government agencies. The agreement was signed in May 2025. In addition to Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed it, while Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan joined with reservations. The parties will be able to obtain information about their citizens’ employment in other participating countries, property, funds in bank accounts, vehicles and ownership interests in companies.

First Department lawyer Evgeny Smirnov, quoted by iStories, warned that Russian authorities could use the agreement to obtain information about the income of people who left for political reasons and to seize their property.

Source: Radio Liberty. New agreement makes it easier to monitor Russians’ income in CIS countries, Nov 2, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://www.svoboda.org/amp/novoe-soglashenie-oblegchaet-slezhku-za-dohodami-rossiyan-v-stranah-sng/33889142.html

 

4. Persecution for antiwar speech and participation in public events

4.1. Seven years in a penal colony for reposting a Facebook news item about Russia’s April 2025 strike on Kryvyi Rih

November 5, 2026 | OVD-Info

Judge Olga Kudashkina of St. Petersburg’s Petrogradsky District Court sentenced Alexandra Ronkina, head of the Antiwar Committee of Sweden, in absentia to seven years in a penal colony under Article 207.3(2) of the Criminal Code (military “false information”). The case arose from her Facebook repost of a Mediazona news item about Russia’s April 2025 strike on Kryvyi Rih, which killed 19 people, including nine children. Ronkina has lived abroad for more than 20 years and holds Swedish citizenship; she was questioned at the border during one of her visits to Russia.

Sources: Mediazona. Antiwar Committee of Sweden activist Alexandra Ronkina sentenced in absentia to seven years for a Mediazona news item about those killed in Kryvyi Rih, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/05/ronkina; OVD-Info. Activist sentenced in absentia to seven years in a penal colony for reposting a Mediazona news item on Facebook, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/05/aktivistke-zaochno-dali-sem-let-kolonii-za-repost-novosti-mediazony-v

 

4.2. St. Petersburg musician sentenced to five and a half years for a post about the strike on the drama theater in Chernihiv

November 6, 2026 | OVD-Info

St. Petersburg’s Petrogradsky District Court sentenced drummer Andrei Panin to five and a half years in a general-regime penal colony under Article 207.3(2)(d) of the Criminal Code (military “false information” motivated by political hatred) and barred him from administering online resources for three years. The case arose from an August 19, 2023, VKontakte post about the Russian missile strike on the drama theater in Chernihiv, which killed civilians, including children. Panin was detained on July 20, 2026; he had previously been fined in October 2025 for comments saying “Glory to Ukraine!”

Source: OVD-Info. St. Petersburg musician sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony for a post about the strike on Chernihiv, Nov 6, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/06/peterburgskogo-muzykanta-prigovorili-k-55-godam-kolonii-za-post-ob-udare-po

 

4.3. Five and a half years in a penal colony for a one-word comment

November 2, 2026 | OVD-Info

The First Western District Military Court sentenced Evgeny Britanishsky, 51, a nephew of poet Vladimir Britanishsky, to five and a half years in a penal colony for justification of terrorism. He was also barred from administering websites for two years. According to the Slovo Zashchite project, the case arose from a one-word comment; the word is unknown because the trial was closed to the public. Britanishsky pleaded not guilty. His father said that, during a search in March, law enforcement officers broke down the door to the communal apartment and struck him in the face with it.

Source: OVD-Info. Poet Vladimir Britanishsky’s nephew sentenced to five and a half years for a one-word comment, Nov 2, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/02/plemyannika-poeta-vladimira-britanishskogo-prigovorili-k-55-godam-iz-za

 

4.4. Former municipal council member Nikita Yuferev sentenced in absentia to four years for “discrediting” the military

November 2, 2026 | Mediazona

A St. Petersburg court sentenced Nikita Yuferev, a former council member of the Smolninskoye municipal district, in absentia to four years under Article 280.3(1) of the Criminal Code (repeated “discrediting” of the military). The case arose from three posts published in 2023. Yuferev left Russia; in 2024, he was placed on a wanted list and ordered arrested in absentia.

Source: Mediazona. Former St. Petersburg municipal council member Nikita Yuferev sentenced in absentia to four years for “discrediting” the military, Nov 2, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/02/yuferev

 

4.5. Resident of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region sentenced to 15 years for posts about the war and the Atesh movement

November 6, 2026 | Mediazona

The Southern District Military Court sentenced Vyacheslav Nikiforenko, a 43-year-old resident of occupied Molochansk in the Zaporizhzhia region, to 15 years of imprisonment: the first three in a prison and the remainder in a strict-regime penal colony. He was found guilty of promoting terrorism, participating in a terrorist organization, spreading military “false information” motivated by hatred and calling for extremism and activities against state security.

  • The case arose from social media posts, apparently on Twitter judging by an Investigative Committee video, published in June–July 2025: seven posts about the Atesh partisan movement, posts about the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and attacks on police officers in Makhachkala, calls to donate to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and messages that, according to the prosecution, “encouraged the killing” of Russians.

  • The court described Atesh as a unit of the “terrorist” organization Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum. Judging by the Investigative Committee’s statement, sharing posts about the movement was classified as participation in that organization.

  • In December 2025, Nikiforenko was added to Rosfinmonitoring’s list of “extremists and terrorists.”

Source: Mediazona. Resident of the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region sentenced to 15 years in prison for Twitter posts about the war, Atesh and Russians, Nov 6, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/06/nikiforenko

 

5. Censorship and restrictions on access to information

5.1. FSB to gain access to cryptocurrency exchange customers’ data through SORM

November 6, 2026 | Meduza

Under a draft directive from the Bank of Russia, cryptocurrency exchanges and cryptocurrency conversion services will be required to give the FSB access to customers’ personal information through the System for Operational Investigative Activities (SORM). Meduza does not rule out the possibility that the security services will also gain access to cryptocurrency wallets.

Source: Meduza. FSB to gain access to cryptocurrency exchange and conversion service customers’ personal data—and perhaps even their wallets, Nov 6, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://meduza.io/cards/fsb-poluchit-dostup-k-personalnym-dannym-klientov-kriptobirzh-i-kriptoobmennikov-a-mozhet-byt-dazhe-dostup-k-ih-koshelkam

 

6. Abuses by law enforcement and security agencies, torture, and forced military service

6.1. Hundreds of teenagers and young people detained in central Moscow; adults served with military enlistment office summonses

November 7–8, 2026 | OVD-Info, Meduza, The Moscow Times, Novaya Gazeta Europe

On November 7, police carried out mass detentions of young people near the Kitay-Gorod station and in Gorka Park in Moscow.

  • Number detained. No official figures are available, and estimates differ: Baza, as cited by OVD-Info, reported more than 200 detainees; Ostorozhno, Moskva estimated approximately 300; the most widely reported estimates cited by Meduza put the figure at 150–200. The Moscow Times gives a range of 150–300. Many of those detained were minors, including children under 14. Some were detained because of their “alternative appearance.”

  • Violence and conditions. Detainees reported beatings. They were held in police stations for hours without water.

  • Summonses and contracts. Young men aged 18 and older were served with summonses to military enlistment offices, and detainees were offered contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

  • The authorities’ position. The Ministry of Internal Affairs described the raid as “preventive measures.”

Sources: OVD-Info. “The police officer grabs me by the scruff of the neck and hits me”: more than 200 people, including teenagers, detained in Moscow, Nov 8, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/08/policeyskiy-beret-menya-za-shkirku-i-bet-v-moskve-zaderzhali-bolshe-200; Meduza. Hundreds of teenagers detained in Moscow’s Kitay-Gorod. They were held for hours without water; some were beaten, others served with military summonses, Nov 8, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://meduza.io/feature/2026/11/08/u-kitay-goroda-v-moskve-zaderzhali-sotni-podrostkov-ih-chasami-derzhali-bez-vody-nekotoryh-izbili-drugim-vruchili-povestki; The Moscow Times. Police call mass detentions of “alternative” young people in central Moscow preventive measures. Adult men served with military enlistment office summonses, Nov 8, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2026/11/08/politsiya-nazvala-profilaktikoi-massovie-zaderzhaniya-neformalov-vtsentre-moskvi-sovershennoletnim-yunosham-vruchili-povestki-vvoenkomat-a210725; Novaya Gazeta Europe. Law enforcement agencies carry out a mass raid targeting children and young people in central Moscow, Nov 8, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/11/08/siloviki-ustroili-massovyi-reid-na-detei-i-molodykh-liudei-v-tsentre-moskvy-news

 

6.2. Penza resident serving a suspended sentence taken from a probation office to a military enlistment office and sent to war

November 6, 2026 | Mediazona

Alexander, a Penza resident serving a suspended sentence, told Ostorozhno, Novosti that he was summoned to check in at a probation office in mid-June, after which a Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) employee took him to a military enlistment office “for military registration.”

  • His passport was taken away, and he was forced to undergo a medical examination and sign a contract. Men brought to the enlistment office were beaten. According to Alexander, he refused to sign the documents, but someone else signed them on his behalf.

  • Approximately 20 other people in the same situation were with him at the enlistment office: “There were deaf people, blind people and people who were plainly elderly with me.”

  • He was sent to an assault company. Complaints to the military prosecutor’s office about his abduction and forcible deployment to the front produced no results.

Source: Mediazona. Penza man says he was forcibly sent to war after reporting to the Federal Penitentiary Service as required by his suspended sentence, Nov 6, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://zona.media/news/2026/11/06/penza

 

6.3. Former traffic police inspector from the Irkutsk region reports torture by FSB officers

November 5, 2026 | OVD-Info

Vitaly Gimaldinov, a 26-year-old former traffic police inspector from Tulun charged under Article 290(1) of the Criminal Code (accepting a bribe), said that FSB and special forces officers used a stun gun on him during an April 13 search, demanding his phone password and a confession. After he struck his head against a wall and lost consciousness, he said, the officers applied a stun gun to his genitals, threatened to have his parents fired and threatened him with violence in pretrial detention. Gimaldinov considers the charge fabricated; his colleague and friend Viktor Askhaev had previously used Gimaldinov’s email account to send the Prosecutor General’s Office a complaint about corruption in the local traffic police.

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A case was opened against Askhaev for unlawful use of personal data under Article 272.1(3)(g) of the Criminal Code; the court later fined him 150,000 rubles. Askhaev also reported torture during the search: he said the officers pulled down his pants and tried to insert a traffic baton into his anus. He considers both cases retaliation for the corruption complaint.

Source: OVD-Info. Former traffic police officer from the Irkutsk region reports torture by the FSB, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/11/05/byvshiy-sotrudnik-gibdd-iz-irkutskoy-oblasti-rasskazal-o-pytkakh-fsb

 

6.4. Teacher from Kharkiv dies after detention in occupied Crimea; authorities identify suicide as the cause of death

November 5, 2026 | Political Prisoners Support. Memorial

The Political Prisoners Support. Memorial project reported the death in occupied Crimea of Alexandra Kazarovitskaya (Kolesnikova), 44, cofounder and director of studies at the Professional language school in Kharkiv.

  • In the summer of 2026, she traveled to Sevastopol, where her parents live, to help them sell their apartment and move. According to colleagues, she was detained there after correspondence with a volunteer dating to the beginning of the full-scale invasion was discovered.

  • According to colleagues, Kazarovitskaya spent three months in solitary confinement. Russian authorities identify suicide as the cause of death.

Memorial added Kazarovitskaya to its list of people who died as victims of politically motivated persecution.

Source: Political Prisoners Support. Memorial. Teacher from Kharkiv dies in occupied Crimea after arrest in a political case, Nov 5, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://memopzk.org/news/v-sizo-sevastopolya-pogibla-prepodavatelnicza-iz-harkova

 

7. Persecution of religious figures and associations

7.1. Samara Regional Court upholds six-year penal colony sentence for a Jehovah’s Witness from Tolyatti

November 4, 2026 | 63.ru

The Samara Regional Court dismissed the appeal of a 52-year-old Tolyatti resident sentenced in July 2026 to six years in a general-regime penal colony for “organizing the activities” of the “extremist” Jehovah’s Witnesses organization under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code.

  • According to the prosecution, between 2017 and 2024, he held meetings, coordinated preaching, appointed elders and corresponded through restricted-access online resources. He was accused of organizing the activities of congregations in Petrozavodsk, Shadrinsk, and other cities.

  • In addition to the prison term, he was barred from leading and assisting religious organizations for four years and sentenced to one year of restriction of liberty.

Source: 63.ru. Member of the banned Jehovah’s Witnesses “sect” from Tolyatti appeals his sentence, Nov 4, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://63.ru/text/criminal/2026/11/04/76744011/

 

7.2. Followers of the Unification Church under investigation in seven regions after affiliated organizations designated “undesirable”

November 1, 2026 | Argumenty Nedeli

On October 30, eleven foreign organizations were added to the “undesirable” list, including the Universal Peace Federation, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and the Women’s Federation for World Peace, which are affiliated with the Unification Church. According to Argumenty Nedeli, citing REN TV, law enforcement agencies subsequently began operational investigative activities targeting church followers in seven regions at once, including southern Moscow.

Source: Argumenty Nedeli. Unification Church and other organizations designated “undesirable”—what law enforcement agencies found, Nov 1, 2026. Language: Russian. URL: https://argumenti.ru/society/cerkov-obedineniya-i-drugie-struktury-priznany-nezhelatelnymi-chto-nashli-1013171

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