Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise
Detained on the street or at a protest
Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.
Ask on what grounds you are being held and in what capacity. Administrative detention usually lasts up to 3 hours; for offences that can carry arrest (19.3, 20.2 pt 6.1, 20.3 CAO) up to 48 hours (art. 27.5 CAO).
Human rights groups usually advise not giving statements: art. 51 of the Constitution lets you refuse to testify against yourself. Access to your own lawyer is requested in writing.
Read every record in full, strike through blank fields, write any disagreement in the 'explanations' section and ask for copies.
By law a phone may be seized only with a written record, and the law does not expressly require you to give your passcode. In practice detainees are sometimes pressured to unlock their phones, so decide with a lawyer in advance how to handle it. Keep your lawyer's and family's numbers on paper.
Where to turn: Network Freedoms (@nfp_hotline), First Department, Prison Lawyer. OVD-Info advises via its bot but no longer refers people to lawyers inside Russia. OVD-Info is designated 'extremist' in Russia. It says that asking for advice is not taking part in its activities, but contact it from a device you will not have to hand over if detained. Don't call hotlines from your main SIM card: the call stays in the operator's records.
Designations of organisations in this guide: OVD-Info (foreign agent, extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.
Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise
Called in for a 'chat' or for questioning
Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.
Questioning is part of a criminal case. You may be summoned on paper, by phone or otherwise (art. 188 CPC); check through a lawyer what it is. Ignoring a proper summons can mean being brought in by force.
By law a 'chat' or 'interview' without a criminal case is voluntary. In practice a refusal sometimes leads to a report for disobeying the police, so agree with a lawyer how to decline. The conversation may be recorded and used.
The law requires a witness to testify, but art. 51 of the Constitution lets you refuse to testify against yourself or close relatives. Human rights groups advise going with a lawyer.
People are usually advised to leave their phone at home, tell someone close where they are going, and note the officer's full name and rank.
Special cases — recruitment attempts, being called in over a visa, scammers posing as the FSB — are covered in First Department guides.
Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise
Administrative court case: defending yourself
Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.
Since June 2026 OVD-Info no longer arranges lawyers in Russia, so many people defend themselves. Under the Code of Administrative Offences your defender need not be an advocate; it can be someone you trust.
Before the hearing, human rights groups advise reading the case file and checking the record against your copy: a missing signature or wrong time or place is grounds to ask for evidence to be excluded (art. 26.2 CAO).
Submit motions and explanations in writing. By law you may make an audio recording of the hearing without permission (art. 24.3 CAO). If the judge still forbids it, ask for this to be put in the record. Don't argue, or you may be removed from the courtroom.
An appeal must be filed within 10 days of receiving the ruling. A fine is due within 60 days of the ruling taking effect; not paying means a double fine or arrest (art. 20.25 CAO).
OVD-Info has document templates. OVD-Info is designated 'extremist' in Russia. It says that asking for advice is not taking part in its activities, but contact it from a device you will not have to hand over if detained. RosShtraf helps pay fines in anti-war cases. Net Freedoms, First Department and Nora give advice.
Designations of organisations in this guide: OVD-Info (foreign agent, extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.
Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise
Your home is being searched
Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.
Ask to see the court order. In urgent cases a search can go ahead without one, with the court notified later (art. 165 pt 5 CPC).
The law requires two attesting witnesses (arts 170, 182 CPC). You can ask for neighbours to be called; any refusal should go into the record.
Call a lawyer straight away: you have the right to one, but the investigator does not have to wait for them to arrive.
By law you do not have to give passwords (art. 51 of the Constitution). In practice a refusal is sometimes met with pressure, so decide with your lawyer how to handle it. Turn on encryption and a passcode lock in advance. During a search, do not hide or switch off devices in front of officers: it can make your situation worse.
Human rights groups advise putting every violation into the comments on the record, asking for a full copy and watching that nothing is planted.
Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise
Phone checks
Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.
With grounds, officers may search you (art. 27.7 CAO), but may seize a phone only with a written record. The law does not expressly require you to unlock it or give a passcode (pending legal review).
Since 2025 border guards have been allowed to 'inspect' devices. According to media reports, the FSB says refusal can mean a fine or up to 15 days' detention. We have not seen the original source and practice is still unclear, so check with a lawyer.
There have been cases over phone contents: 'searching for extremist materials' (art. 13.53 CAO), Telegram 'stars' sent to channels designated as terrorist, donations to Ukrainian medics.
Prepare a phone for travel weeks in advance. It should look ordinary: apps, photos, chat history. An empty phone raises questions. Turn off biometrics and use disappearing messages. Remove subscriptions and donation screenshots well in advance, not just before the border. If a case has already been opened against you, don't delete anything without a lawyer. Bank and cloud records remain.
Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise
Beaten or tortured by security forces
Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.
Now: if you are detained, demand an ambulance — the police must call one. Note the time, place, officers' descriptions and names, how and with what you were beaten, and any witnesses.
Within 24 hours: have injuries recorded at an emergency clinic or hospital, with each one described in detail. A forensic medical examination (paid) is the most reliable. Photograph the marks over several days.
Human rights groups advise filing the crime report in person with the Investigative Committee, not the police, and asking for the registration receipt. Sometimes a complaint is met with a counter-case (art. 318 CC, or false accusation under art. 306 CC). File the report after talking to a lawyer.
Next: a refusal to open a case can be challenged in court or with senior Investigative Committee officials. If there is no remedy at home, a UN complaint is possible — see the note on international complaints.
Where to turn: Committee Against Torture team, Public Verdict, First Department. Psychological support: First Line, Nora.
Draft First minutes: what human rights defenders usually advise
A child or teenager has been detained
Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.
Administrative and criminal liability start at 16, and at 14 for some crimes. Minors are held separately from adults, and the police must inform parents immediately.
A teenager can only be released to a legal guardian. If parents may not make it in time, give a trusted person a power of attorney in advance.
A teacher or psychologist must attend the questioning of anyone under 16; a parent may take part from the first interrogation. Art. 51 of the Constitution applies to children too.
Detention often leads to registration with the juvenile police unit, which can be lifted. Call to Conscience and First Department explain how to opt out of basic military training and propaganda classes. A written opt-out sometimes leads the school to complain to child services, so read the note on pressure on families first.
Where to turn: OVD-Info (bot), First Department. OVD-Info is designated 'extremist' in Russia, so contact it from a device that is not checked. Psychological support for the family: First Line.
Designations of organisations in this guide: OVD-Info (foreign agent, extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.
Help for activists, volunteers, political prisoners and their families: free sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist, a peer-support bot and a legal team.
Advice for people who are detained or face administrative or criminal cases over protests and anti-war statements. They can tell you how to behave during questioning.
Since June 2026 it no longer works with lawyers in Russia; it gives advice and refers people onward. For criminal cases and pressure on families, also contact First Department and Prison Lawyer. A call to the 8 800 number from a Russian SIM card stays in the operator's records.