Draft: not yet checked by a lawyerThe guides below are drafts: a lawyer has not reviewed them yet. This is not legal advice.
Draft What human rights defenders advise
Reported by colleagues or students, fired or expelled
Decide with a lawyer in advance how to handle being called in: after a denunciation you may be called in by the head, by the police or for an 'informal chat'. A denunciation is not a case in itself. By law (art. 51 of the Constitution) you don't have to testify against yourself, but in practice refusing to answer sometimes angers the officials. A written explanation for your employer can end up with the police: keep it short and don't describe your views.
Dismissal. You cannot be fired for political views (art. 3 of the Labour Code), so employers look for other grounds: lateness, absence, or an 'immoral act' (art. 81(1)(8), only for people who teach or bring up children). People are often asked to resign 'voluntarily'. OVD-Info advises not to sign such a letter: pressure is hard to prove later. Before any penalty the employer must ask for a written explanation and give you 2 working days (art. 193).
Deadlines. A dismissal claim goes to court within one month of the day you were given a copy of the order or your employment record (art. 392). Don't miss it. Keep copies of every document and hand in letters in two copies, with a stamp showing receipt. Publicity sometimes helps people get reinstated and sometimes leads to a new denunciation, so decide this with a lawyer.
Students. The Education Act gives no direct ground for expelling someone for their views or for protests. The university must ask for a written explanation and give 3 study days for it, and can only penalise within a month of learning about the offence, taking the student council's view into account. Expulsion can be appealed to the university's disputes commission, to Rosobrnadzor and in court. According to OVD-Info and Groza, from 2022 to 2024 at least 70 students were expelled and 32 teachers were fired or forced out.
What may follow. A denunciation can turn into a charge of 'discrediting the army' (art. 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code), and a repeat within a year is already a criminal case (art. 280.3 of the Criminal Code). Where to turn: Net Freedoms Project and First Department; for teachers, the 'Uchitel' trade union. OVD-Info has detailed guides on dismissal and expulsion. OVD-Info is designated 'extremist' in Russia, so contact it from a device you will not have to hand over if detained. First Line offers psychological support.
A call 'about a report'. Usually this is a check (art. 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code): a decision is due in 3 days, extendable to 10 or 30 days. A call is not a summons. OVD-Info ('extremist' in Russia) advises asking who is calling and why and requesting a written summons; at the door, ask for the KUSP number (the number under which police registered the report) and check it with the duty desk. You may come to questioning during the check with a lawyer (art. 144 part 1.1 of the Criminal Procedure Code).
Who reported you. You may not find out. If a charge sheet is drawn up, the report that started it all is usually in the file, which you have the right to read (art. 25.1 of the Administrative Code). You can request check materials that affect your rights (art. 24 of the Constitution), but the reporter's details may be kept secret (art. 166 part 9 of the Criminal Procedure Code). Anonymous reports usually stay out of the file, and the names of the security services' secret helpers are a state secret.
Responding to the reporter. A false denunciation (art. 306 of the Criminal Code) means knowingly lying about a crime. An accurate account of your words, or opinions like 'anti-Russian activity', are not covered. A defamation claim over a police report succeeds only if it had no basis and aimed to cause harm (Supreme Court Plenum, 2005). Defenders advise not contacting the reporter or arguing in public.
Designations of organisations in this guide: OVD-Info (foreign agent, extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.
Free, anonymous psychological support for people affected by, or afraid of, political persecution and for their families; an information line and safety guides.
Psychological help is in a separate bot, @PsyFirstlineBot: free, anonymous, one-off chat sessions with trained volunteer psychologists, 18+, no diagnoses or medication. Confidentiality is broken if there is a risk of suicide or a threat to a child.
The only official bot is @FirstLineHelpBot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Advice for people who are detained or face administrative or criminal cases over protests and anti-war statements. They can tell you how to behave during questioning.
Since June 2026 it no longer works with lawyers in Russia; it gives advice and refers people onward. For criminal cases and pressure on families, also contact First Department and Prison Lawyer. The 8 800 hotline is switched off; only the bot works. Since 4 June 2026 it is on the Rosfinmonitoring list as 'extremist': do not repost its materials.
The only official bot is @ovdinfobot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
abroadextremist+ foreign agent, on Rosfinmonitoring list
Get in touch ↓
This organisation is designated 'extremist' in Russia. It says that a consultation is not participation in its work, but messages on a phone that may be seized and reposts of its materials are dangerous. Write from a device you would not hand over if detained.