UN special rapporteur on Thursday sentenced an ongoing strategy by the Russian authorities to silence dissent, human rights advocacy and anti-war statements. They warned that this represented a “systematic dismantling” of civil society under the guise of protecting national and public security.
Over 343 organizations were designated “undesirable,” 1,173 individuals and groups were designated “foreign agents,” and 830 organizations and 20,813 individuals were placed on “terrorist” and “extremist” watch lists.
This has recently intensified as several key Russian human rights organizations have been targeted. On Wednesday, six activists gathered Vesna youth movement were sentenced There is a risk of eight to twelve years in prison for participating in an “extremist organization” because of its opposition to the war in Ukraine.
These efforts to restrict fundamental freedoms have escalated since the beginning of the year War against Ukraine in 2022. The rapporteurs describe a “repressive toolbox” used by the authorities and note:
The government has used methods such as massive “undesirable” or “foreign agent” designations or organizations, as well as the instrumentalization of national and public security laws, to target lawyers, journalists, anti-war activists, and human rights defenders.
On Thursday, the Russian Justice Ministry requested that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Memorial Movement be classified as an “extremist organization.” If the designation is granted by the courts, individuals and organizations associated with Memorial would face criminal liability, including prison time. The rapporteurs said the move “reflects a deliberate and calculated strategy to spread fear among the Russian population and deprive them of independent information, human rights defense, advocacy and legal assistance.”
The Memorial Human Rights Defense Center in a opinion Highlighting its 40-year history of investigating state terror and political persecution in the Soviet era, it said: “We understand that the case against ‘Memorial’ is another attempt to intimidate all dissenting voices in the country and silence civil society.”
Russian authorities have also targeted indigenous human rights defenders. For example, in June 2024, Russia’s Supreme Court grouped 55 indigenous and minority organizations together as a “movement” to label them “extremist,” a move that received some attention condemnation by the International Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Russia. This has also led to arbitrary detentions of human rights activists Daria Egereva And Natalya Leongardt. They were accused of their involvement in the Aborigines Forum, an informal network of indigenous defenders.
Other examples show how widespread this is Patterns of oppression was like this throughout the Ukraine war. For example, in November 2025, Russian authorities forbidden Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable organization,” which effectively criminalized participation in the group. Around the same time, the Prosecutor General’s Office opened a case against the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot They seek to classify them as extremists. In addition, authorities labeled the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which founded a “terror organization” by the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.
Human Rights Watch also recently warned of increasing online censorship, including blocking internet and mobile phone access and blocking Telegram, one of the most popular social media platforms in Russia.
