Skip to content
openDemocracy
Subscribe

How Russia’s security services try to recruit opposition activists

For Russian law enforcement, informal connections with the opposition can be anything from genuine information-gathering to ticking boxes in their monthly reports.

By Maria Klimova
Published:
Share

Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 11.22.22.png

Illustration: Vlad Milushkin for OVD-Info. All rights reserved.

For Russia’s security services, establishing informal contact with opposition activists has become an essential part of investigative work over the past few years. I surveyed several Russian activists to find out more about how people can avoid forced cooperation and what to do if you cross paths with the Centre for Combating Extremism or Federal Security Service.

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Please check individual images for licensing details.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0