February 2023

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.

• 297,072 users were connected to our Telegram-bot
• our legal instructions were viewed 21,308 times
• we received 1,330 calls on our hotline

In total, our operators and volunteers spoke on the phone for 56 hours and 14 seconds.

Lawyers of the hotline

• conducted 322 consultations by phone;
• responded to 128 letters received at legal@ovdinfo.org;
• audited 21 appeals received through the generator;
• prepared and submitted 16 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 February, our lawyers, jurists, and defenders:

• went to the police departments 34 times, where they helped 67 detainees.
• helped 220 people in court sessions on administrative cases.
• managed to terminate, cancel or return at least 13 cases of administrative offence.

Criminal cases

Our lawyers and jurists in February 2023:

• were present during 1 search;
• accompanied clients on 3 interrogations;
• entered into 5 new criminal cases.

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

• In February, we prepared and sent 47 complaints to the European Court of Human Rights
• A total of 2,750 complaints were submitted during the campaign.
• On 182 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:

• 370 express news about political persecution in 71 regions of Russia;
• 8 longreads on political persecution.

What you should pay attention to:

• The Dissident Digest — 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.
 

 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.

• Russian wartime repression report
  In the early morning on February 24, 2022, Russia began a full-scale war in Ukraine. This has caused a catastrophic destruction, led to victims, and sparked large protests in Russia. Over the past year, we have counted almost 20,000 arrests in connection with anti-war positions in 240 locations in 78 regions. After several weeks of almost daily large protests and their harsh suppression, the protest took on other forms. The authorities actively used the Code on Administrative Offences against participants in the rallies—in total, we recorded 18,183 cases under the article on «violation of the established procedure of organizing or holding public events» and 5,846 cases under the new article on «discrediting the Russian military.» At least 447 people were prosecuted in connection with anti-war protests, and 125 of them are in custody.
• «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

• 15,492 donations
• RUB 10,745,860

The figure includes

• 419 direct transfers made to OVD-Info clients through the Zaodno platform, totalling RUB 286,921.

How much we spent

In February, we expended a total of RUB 20,184,286, all of which was funded by your donations and transfers from various sources. Here’s a breakdown of how the funds were used:

• RUB 7,230,697 — 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 2,449,043 — 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 1,633,899 — 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 884,696 — 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 1,787,025 — 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 700,976 — 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 3,537,953 — 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 875,156 — infrastructure costs (office rent, phone and Internet). This helps us to work more cohesively and efficiently, as well as to take calls to the hotline and write news stories.
• RUB 410,272 — bank account maintenance and payment systems commission. We use several payment systems, and the interest rates are all different. This amount is calculated as a percentage of donations and expenses on the account. It depends not only on our expenses but also on the amount of income. The increase in the amount was also influenced by an increase in the commission from the payment system that we use to accept and process donations.
• RUB 674,569 — additional taxes and fees. We have allocated in the cost structure the portion of fees that will go to pay taxes that are not included in other expense items.

Thank you so much for being with us!