A call to OVD-Info hotline or a message to our Telegram bot are the easiest ways to report persecution and get a free consultation. Specialists will advise you on how your situation may develop, and instruct you about your next steps.

• 304 720 users were connected to our Telegram-bot
• our legal instructions were viewed 8 962 times
• we received 572 calls on our hotline

In total, our operators and volunteers spoke on the phone for 24 hours, 51 minutes and 36 seconds.

Lawyers of the hotline

• conducted 44 consultations by phone;
• responded to 46 letters received at legal@ovdinfo.org;
• audited 12 appeals received through the generator;
• prepared and submitted 7 cassation appeals.

Legal aid

We provide and coordinate legal assistance in cases related to the restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly or freedom of speech. Our attorneys visit those detained in police departments, support defendants in Russian administrative and criminal courts, and file complaints with the European Court of Human Rights.

Assistance on cases of administrative offences

In December, our lawyers, jurists, and defenders

• went to the police departments 96 times, where they helped 341 detainees.
• helped 202 people in court sessions on administrative cases.
• managed to terminate, cancel or return at least 6 cases of administrative offence.

Criminal cases

Our lawyers and jurists in December 2023

• were present during 1 search;
• accompanied clients on 7 interrogations;
• entered into 6 new criminal cases;
• worked on 59 criminal cases against 75 people in 40 cities.

We consider all the charges and criminal cases brought in connection with them to be illegal and politically motivated.

European Court of Human Rights complaints campaign

• A total of 2,975 complaints were submitted during the campaign.
• On 586 complaints, ECHR issued judgements — all in favour of the applicants; the remaining complaints are pending trial or registration.

News and media

The authorities that violate human rights prefer to avoid publicity. But as they say, silence in the face of evil is itself evil. We believe that information protects, and that media and social attention can prevent violations and change the whole picture.

We have prepared and released

• 403 express news about political persecution in 70 regions of Russia;
• 6 longreads on political persecution.

What you should pay attention to

• The Dissident Digest — free weekly newsletter in English!
  The Digest is your window into the dark world of the Kremlin’s war on human rights and civil society in Russia. The Dissident Digest informs you through data, news and explainers. The newsletter is by no means all-encompassing but we strive to provide you with a snapshot of most important developments.

If you want to be informed about political repressions in Russia you can subscribe to our Digest, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or visit our website! Everything helps.

Media about us

• «Defending Human Rights in Russia Feels Hopeless. But I Still Do It»
  The story of Dan Storyev, who serves as the managing editor of OVD-Info’s English-language edition.
• «The hidden strength of Russia’s anti-war movement»
  Dan Storyev, Daria Korolenko and Lauren McCarthy uncover a surprisingly resilient, varied and innovative modes of resistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
• Podcast «Political Persecutions in Russia: Portraits of Prisoners»
  Today, more than 1,000 people are in jail or prison in Russia for political reasons, according to the human rights media project OVD-Info. But these numbers don’t give the full picture of what happens to those who do not agree with Russian policies. This episode is about the people who are politically persecuted: their profile, the reasons for their persecution, how the Russian justice system treats them, and how the war in Ukraine has changed political prosecutions.

Reports, research, and advocacy

At our organisation, we examine emerging problems from various angles, which helps us work out present-day tactical solutions and lay the strategic foundation for future systemic change. The results of our analyses are published as reports, data sets, or special projects.

• Overview of repressions in Russia in 2023
  In 2023, unlike the preceding year, there were no extensive mass protests with thousands of detentions. However, this doesn’t imply the end of dissent or the absence of further repressions. Dissenters persist in expressing opposition to the war and repressive measures, engaging in pickets, organising letter-writing evenings for political prisoners, and participating in various forms of resistance, including arson and other forms of direct action. The state, in turn, continues to target ordinary citizens who take a stand, as well as representatives from diverse political, social, and religious groups. We have summarised the repressions in 2023 in our annual overview.
• Repressions Report. November 2023
  The ban on the «international LGBT movement», the sentencing of Sasha Skochilenko, and the case of the singer Sharlot — OVD-Info reports on the main news for November in our chronicle of political pressure.
• We sent an update to the report on child rights to the UN
  At the end of January, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is set to assess Russia’s compliance with the obligations outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Therefore, in December, we submitted an update to our report on children’s civil rights and freedoms in Russia, highlighting that the situation has not ameliorated since the last report. 
• «According to OVD-Info» newsletter
  At our organisation, we examine emerging problems from various angles, which helps us work out present-day tactical solutions and lay the strategic foundation for future systemic change. The results of our analyses are published as reports, data sets, or special projects. Our research team is very active, and it is difficult to put all of their work into one letter. Therefore, we have a newsletter available in English. You can subscribe to follow our news and publications of upcoming reports and datasets.

How much we collected

Total transfers

• 18,462 donations
• RUB 18,631,389

The figure includes

• 4,318 donations made through the GlobalGiving platform (RUB 8,999,196). As per our agreement with GlobalGiving, we are currently receiving deferred transfers from the previous year.
• 774 direct transfers made to OVD-Info clients through the Zaodno platform, totalling RUB 766,550.

How much we spent

In December, we expended a total of RUB 26,875,796, all of which was funded by your donations and transfers from various sources. Here’s a breakdown of how the funds were used:

• RUB 8,621,984 — legal assistance. Our lawyers and human rights defenders worked tirelessly to provide legal aid to detainees in police departments and courts, and coordinated assistance in criminal cases throughout the month.
• RUB 2,596,373 — work of our hotline operators and reporters. Our monitoring group received calls to the hotline and messages in the telegram bot every day, and reported news to aid detainees, not only during large-scale actions, but also for regular detentions that occur almost every day in Russia.
• RUB 3,551,604 — the work of our media team. We believe that information can be a powerful tool in protecting political rights. To make information about political rights violations public, we prepared and published significant articles, created guides for major criminal cases, launched special projects, gave interviews, and talked about it on all available social networks.
• RUB 1,819,358 — data projects, reports, research, and advocacy. We collect and analyse data on political persecution to make informed decisions and help journalists and researchers understand the situation. Based on the collected data, we prepare comprehensive reports that analyse how legislative practices and repressive laws enable political persecution.
• RUB 2,598,745 — the work of our IT team. We developed tools and services that help to protect ourselves and others, ensure the stable operation of our entire system, and share our work with other initiatives.
• RUB 1,012,227 — volunteer coordination. Our volunteers are our backbone and the best team of like-minded individuals. We are committed to expanding our community and ensuring that volunteers actively participate in the project’s life.
• RUB 4,998,314 — operational support of the project. Thanks to this work, which is not always visible, we continue to help those who need help and spend our energy and resources more efficiently. It includes the costs of team members who ensure the daily work and planning of the project and are responsible for the sustainability of OVD-Info in the long term, budget planning, strategic goals, communication with donors and financial transparency. This also includes the costs of caring for team members: psychological assistance, development of the competencies of participants and their safety.
• RUB 1,319,130 — infrastructure costs. Since October 2023, we have included payments for key services (such as telephony) in the expenses of the respective areas. Infrastructure costs still include those parts of the infrastructure related to the work of the team and the project as a whole, including office and accounting.
• RUB 358,061 — bank account maintenance and payment systems commission. This amount is calculated as a percentage of donations and spending on the account. The increase in the amount is also affected by changes in the fees charged by the payment system we use to receive and process donations.

Thank you so much for being with us!