Russia expands transnational repression against dissidents, UN report finds

A new report by UN Special Rapporteur Mariana Katzarov reveals that Russian authorities are expanding a structured system of transnational repression to target critics living abroad. Based on an analysis of 400 documented cases, the report indicates that the average number of such incidents per year has increased nearly eightfold.

The methods used to suppress anti-war protesters, independent media, and human rights organizations include surveillance, cyberattacks, the abuse of Interpol mechanisms, and the persecution of relatives remaining in Russia. While high-profile physical attacks such as assassinations, attempts on lives, and poisonings remain relatively rare, they continue to occur.

Russia ranks third among the ten countries that have seen over 70 percent of the world's direct physical attacks on such targets over the last decade. Since 2022, the report notes a shift toward using more covert administrative and digital methods of pressure alongside direct violence.