The OVD-Info project has helped thousands of political prisoners. The authorities described him as an “extremist.” To whom and what does this threaten? For cooperation and donations, you can now end up in a colony

According to the laws, before being included in the lists of Rosfinmonitoring, the organization must be recognized as extremist by a court. The court’s decision must enter into force. Only on its basis is the register renewed.

In April, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, at the request of the Ministry of Justice, declared the “Memorial” organization and its structural divisions “extremist.” The trial took place behind closed doors, so it is impossible to say with certainty what specifically was considered “structural divisions.” Legally, there is no organization with the name “Memorial”, and all related projects are registered in different countries and are designed differently.

Authorities have likely linked OVD-Info, Revolt Center and Perm-36 to the memorial. In any case, there is currently no knowledge of individual trials being conducted in the cases of these organizations.

It is important to understand that OVD-Info is just that independent project. It was born in December 2011, when Daniil Beilinson and Grigory Okhotin were searching for those arrested on the march in police stations – and they were joined by volunteers, who became more and more numerous over time. Since 2013, the project’s general partner has been the Memorial Center for Human Rights. Here’s how about it books On the OVD-Info website:

But OVD-Info was not part of Memorial’s structures.

The range of human rights projects united by this brand is very wide.

• The main focus from the beginning was to provide free assistance to those facing persecution for political reasons: lawyers and barristers collaborating with the project defended these people in courts and provided counselling. Another project available Political prisoners receive basic necessities, food and medical care.
• using Service “Vestushka”. Thousands of people sent letters to political prisoners – for free and anonymously. For many people serving sentences (especially non-media people), these letters remained one of the few ways to maintain contact with the outside world.
• Woodpecker platform Collected cases of violation of the rights of political prisoners – organized the sending of collective complaints to the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Federal Penitentiary Service, etc. This helped, for example, to achieve an operation for political prisoner Igor Baryshnikov.
• While mass marches were possible in Russia, OVD Information Help She helped thousands of protest participants defend their rights during arrests.
• The project also conducts extensive research into how the system of political persecution has changed – thanks to them, the names of hundreds of people convicted for their opinions are known.

What will happen now to each area of ​​this extremely important work in modern Russia is not yet known. Human rights organizations are accustomed to adapting to ever-changing realities.

But the work will certainly become more difficult, and not all of the listed projects can be saved.

The appointment of extreme status entails criminal liability not only for those who are directly related to OVD-Info – employees or included in the list of founders. According to the logic of the Russian authorities, a case can be brought against anyone who “participated” in the activities of such organizations. This means that donations to OVD-Info, consultations for the project or within its initiatives, any assistance (this is not specified in the law), and even just an approving comment on social networks are considered a crime. Thousands of people are in danger.

Below are the possible penalties for OVD-Info supporters after the project is listed on Rosfinmonitoring:

• Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Part 1 – organizing the activities of an extremist organization, punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years. This article covers the people who run an organization, make key decisions, coordinate work, and manage projects.
• Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Part 1.1 – Involvement, incitement and recruitment into an extremist organization, with imprisonment for up to eight years. This article may include those inviting donations or participation in OVD-Info projects, including publishing posts about this topic on social networks.
• Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Part 2 – Participation in the activities of an extremist organization, up to six years in prison. This is the most ambiguous category. This may include people who already have it after Recognizing an organization as extremist, continues to assist its projects, distribute materials, or otherwise contribute.
• Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – public calls for extremist activity, up to five years in prison. This may impact those who have publicly called for support for OVD-Info.
• Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – Financing of extremist activities, imprisonment for up to six years. Under this article, anyone who donated to the organization or provided financial services to it can be prosecuted.

First of all, those who donated to the project from Russia (or are planning a trip to the country), and those who cooperated with it openly – lawyers, lawyers, volunteers. Those who actively supported OVD-Info on social networks could also attract the attention of security forces.

At the same time Information and financial support, as well as participation in the activities of the organization To thatIt has also been recognized as extremist, and is not considered a crime or crime.

Hundreds of political prisoners remain in Russian colonies, and hundreds more are persecuted on trial. Now, any involvement in the protection of these people, if it happens under the OVD-Info brand or if connection to the project can be proven by law enforcement officers, could lead to a criminal case.

This was not the case, because OVD-Info was not burdened with discriminatory conditions that created criminal risks for counterparties. Although returning in September 2021 the organization Announce “Foreign agent.” But this designation entails bureaucratic difficulties and risks of prosecution, especially regarding the issue of the “foreign agency” itself. It was possible to cooperate with OVD-Info and donate money to the organization until the last minute.

However, at the end of November 2025, Russian payment platforms disconnected the project from their systems, depriving 12 thousand people of the main source of support – regular donations. Since then, OVD-Info compensation nearly half of its donor base, but it can no longer rely on the previous volume of financial support. With the organization declared “extremist”, attracting donations becomes a more difficult task.

If you live in Russia, travel there regularly, plan future trips, or cannot be certain that such trips will not occur, it is useful to consider the new risks associated with any public (and non-public) manifestations of OVD-Info support.

For safety reasons, this category of people should:

• Do not transfer funds to OVD-Info, related projects, as well as to persons who can be considered its representatives – even from foreign cards;
• Do not participate in the organization’s projects, campaigns, events and other initiatives, including online formats such as collective complaints about abuses;
• Not to publish or distribute OVD-Info materials, including instructions and notes to those who have been arrested;
• Do not post links to OVD-Info resources in the public domain;
• Do not use organization symbols and logos in posts, profile headers and public areas;
• Be wary of likes, reposts, and comments that could be interpreted as support for the organization;
• Avoid public statements that could be perceived as supporting or promoting OVD-Info activities.

It’s also a good idea to check your old posts for links, codes, and other content related to the project. In theory, everything I published before April 9 (the expected date of the trial in which OVD-Info was declared an “extremist” organization) is safe. But Russia’s practice of enforcing extremism legislation remains highly unpredictable, so it is best to be as careful as possible.

Comprehensive instructions on how not to go to prison for extremism are available on the OVD-Info website. Payment With her to check everything and worry less. Just don’t send it to anyone or post it anywhere if you are in Russia or going to the country.

First, we do not yet know how OVD-Info will handle its project on legal aid for political prisoners. The organization is likely to offer people who have been counting on its support an alternative. Meduza will monitor the OVD-Info data and will definitely inform you of the decision the project team will make.

Secondly, initiatives providing such assistance continue to operate in Russia.

• For example, you can contact the Human Rights Project “Section One”.
• Politician and blogger Maxim Katz also has a project for legal aid for people persecuted by the Russian authorities for political reasons. It’s called “reception”.