Abroad and wanted in Russia

• How to check: a criminal record certificate via Gosuslugi or a trusted proxy (the authorities see the request; do not go to a consulate in person), the Interior Ministry 'wanted' database, Interpol's public Red Notices (see 'Am I on a list?'). CIS-channel searches bypass Interpol's filters.
• After a detention on an extradition request Russia usually has about 40 days to send papers. Apply for asylum at once, but with a lawyer: mistakes in the first application are hard to fix. A lawyer can also complain to the UN Human Rights Committee: its interim measures suspended Movlaev's extradition from Kazakhstan, even though the courts finally refused him asylum.
• High risk, including in transit: Kazakhstan (since 2026 it has handed over even people who applied for asylum; Yemelyanova was detained changing planes in Almaty), Kyrgyzstan (Russian Interior Ministry office in Bishkek since 17 Aug 2026), Uzbekistan, UAE, Turkey.
• In 2026 Georgia resumed extraditions to Russia in criminal cases; a court cleared the extradition of Timofeev, a Furgal aide, and the minister has the final say. There have been no extraditions in political cases so far. Some people are refused entry, more often those born in Crimea, Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Donbas. Armenia does not extradite in political cases, but people were removed via the Gyumri base.
• Germany has effectively closed humanitarian visas for Russians and BAMF rejects deserters en masse. Rights groups advise applying for asylum with a lawyer and collecting evidence of persecution in advance.
• Where to turn: The Ark (Kovcheg), First Department, inTransit. If you are already in Kazakhstan, contact the Kazakhstan Bureau. The Anti-War Committee's 'Consuls' help if you face deportation. The Anti-War Committee is designated 'terrorist' in Russia. If you have ties to Russia, contacting it can become grounds for a case under 'terrorism' articles. Write to the 'Consuls' only if deportation is a real threat, and after talking to a lawyer.
• How people end up wanted after leaving. If you left as a suspect or accused, the investigator declares you wanted, a court may order your arrest in absentia and try you in absentia. Russia usually adds a CIS-wide search right after the federal one, and under the Minsk Convention you can be detained even before an extradition request arrives.
• The 284-FZ register is not immediate: it requires a final conviction or a 'political' administrative penalty and confirmed 'evasion'. Until there is a verdict, you have time to sort out documents and powers of attorney through a local notary.
• Most Interpol Red Notices are not public, so not finding yourself on the website proves nothing. You can ask Interpol's Commission for the Control of Files (CCF) free of charge whether it holds data on you, but it may consult the country that supplied the data, that is Russia: only apply with a lawyer.
• Mediazona's copy of the police wanted database (Mediazona is a 'foreign agent' in Russia) has been updated daily since 26 August 2026. Try several spellings of your name: it may have been entered with a typo.

Designations of organisations in this guide: Anti-War Committee 'Consuls' (undesirable, terrorist, 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: extradition and deportation (foreign agent); Meduza: Kazakhstan has become dangerous for anti-war Russians (undesirable); The Moscow Times: deportation from Turkey (undesirable); The Insider: anti-war Russians denied asylum (undesirable); The Insider: Russia's Interior Ministry expands its office in Kyrgyzstan (undesirable); ISHR: the case of Mansur Movlaev; NewsGeorgia: Georgia resumes extraditions to Russia; ConsultantPlus: Law 284-FZ of 4 Aug 2026 (overview, in Russian); Kovcheg: crossing the border with Belarus (foreign agent); Novaya Gazeta Europe: cassation court upholds asylum refusal for Movlaev (in Russian) (undesirable); Interpol CCF: frequently asked questions; Interpol: View Red Notices; Mediazona: Interior Ministry wanted database (in Russian) (foreign agent, extremist materials in Belarus)