Political prisoners in Russia

Russia holds the largest documented population of political prisoners in Europe. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, prosecutions under Article 207.3 ('fakes' about the army) and Article 280.3 ('discrediting' the army) have driven a sustained wave of arrests of journalists, anti-war demonstrators, ordinary citizens posting on social media, and members of suppressed religious or ethnic minorities.

Political Prisoner Watch aggregates verified case records from the leading Russian human rights organizations — OVD-Info, Political Prisoners Support. Memorial, and Mediazona — translates them into English, and standardizes the case taxonomy so journalists, lawyers, and researchers can search by region, charge, demographic, and urgency. Cases here are sourced from public reporting; we do not generate primary documentation.

Primary sources: OVD-Info, Political Prisoners Support. Memorial, Mediazona