Paper found in a search can become evidence: keep it carefully.
Draft What human rights defenders advise
| Method | What it shows | What it doesn't show | What trace it leaves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of criminal record and prosecution (Interior Ministry, via Gosuslugi, a service centre or a representative with power of attorney) | Convictions, criminal cases opened and closed, and whether the person is wanted. | Only the position on the day of issue: a case opened later will not appear. It can take up to 30 days. | It is an application to the Interior Ministry in your name from a verified account: the authorities see who asked and when. A representative needs a power of attorney, and a consulate visit means meeting state officials in person. |
| Interior Ministry 'Wanted' database | Whether a person is wanted 'under a Criminal Code article', usually without the article number. | Only people the police decided to search for through the media. 'Not found' does not rule out a case. | Your name and date of birth go to a government site and the reply goes to the email you give. Verstka advises a spare, empty mailbox and not your own IP address; the site often does not open from abroad. |
| Mediazona's copy of the wanted database ('foreign agent' in Russia) | The same federal police wanted records in an easy search, updated daily since 26 Aug 2026. | Mediazona says that not being on the wanted list does not mean there is no case. Your name may have been entered with a typo. | No request goes to Russian authorities. Better not to visit a designated outlet's site from a device you will take across the border. |
| Court websites (sudrf.ru, Moscow courts portal) | Cases by surname, including arrest and trial in absentia. | A case reaches a court only after the investigation or a charge sheet. There are many courts: the case may be heard where the offence or arrest took place or where you are registered. | No login needed. Sources describe no trace beyond an ordinary visit to a government site. |
| Bailiffs' (FSSP) enforcement database | Debts and enforcement proceedings, sometimes a property freeze linked to a case. | An exit ban on a suspect or accused person is not shown here: there is no single service for checking exit bans. | No login needed; you search by name and date of birth on a government site. |
| Rosfinmonitoring list ('terrorists and extremists') | Whether a person is listed; an asterisk means 'terrorism', no asterisk means 'extremism'. | Not everyone in a criminal case ends up on it. | No login needed; the site often does not open from abroad. |
| Foreign agents register (Justice Ministry) | Whether a person is on the register. | Says nothing about whether there is a criminal case. | No login needed; the site is open. |
| List of people under 'temporary restrictive measures' (Law 284-FZ, Justice Ministry) | Whether a person is listed; restrictions apply from the day after publication. | People are added only after a final sentence or 'political' administrative penalty and confirmed 'evasion'. Not being listed says nothing about a case at an early stage. | No login needed; the Justice Ministry registers portal often does not open from abroad. |
| Interpol's public Red Notices | Only the notices a country asked to make public. | Most Red Notices are restricted to law enforcement; CIS-channel searches and 'diffusions' do not appear here. | No login needed; the site is not Russian. |
| Request to Interpol's Commission for the Control of Files (CCF) | Whether Interpol holds data on you, including non-public data. Free; a decision within 4 months of the request being admitted. | Does not show a Russian search that was never sent to Interpol, or a CIS-channel search. | You hand your details to Interpol, and the CCF may consult the source of the data, usually that country's National Central Bureau. Only apply with a lawyer. |
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.
current as of 7 October 2026. More: First Department: assessing the risks of a trip to Russia (foreign agent); OVD-Info: questions asked at the border (extremist); Kovcheg: questioning at the border (foreign agent); Verstka: how to check yourself in Russian databases (14 Aug 2026, in Russian) (foreign agent)
Legal hotline: cases over posts, reposts and comments, website blocking, detentions via facial recognition.
Set up by lawyers from the Agora human rights group, which Russia designated 'undesirable' in 2023.
The only official bot is @nfp_hotline. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Other ways to reach them: Delta Chat
Free 24/7 help for activists and journalists: hacked accounts, surveillance, securing accounts and devices. Russian-language support available.
Other ways to reach them: help@accessnow.org
Lawyers for treason, espionage, state secrets and extremism cases, including closed trials. Advice on digital security.
The only official bot is @deptonebot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Other ways to reach them: website · info@dept.one
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. The 8 800 hotline is switched off; only the bot works. Since 4 June 2026 it is on the Rosfinmonitoring list as 'extremist': do not repost its materials.
The only official bot is @ovdinfobot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
This organisation is designated 'extremist' in Russia. It says that a consultation is not participation in its work, but messages on a phone that may be seized and reposts of its materials are dangerous. Write from a device you would not hand over if detained.
I understand the risk, continueOther ways to reach them: legal@ovdinfo.org
In Russia, lawyers are found by First Department (foreign agent) and Solidarity Zone (foreign agent). Lawyers abroad known for defending political cases: list of lawyers →