EXPLAINING THE STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA |
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Hello and welcome back to the Digest — and a special hello to those I met in Riga! |
Today’s issue is a very special one: number 100. Instead of our normal format I will be using this space to reflect a bit on what the Digest is and where I would like to take it further. |
In solidarity, Dan Storyev |
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Donate to OVD-Info to keep us running |
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Trigger warning:
This is a newsletter about Russian repressions. Sometimes it will be hard to read. |
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I have long thought about what I would write once we hit 100 issues — I was not even sure that the Digest would run for so long. In a way, there is a paradox here: our job, as human rights defenders, is to strive for a world in which we are all out of our jobs. Every issue of the Digest represents a need, a pain, and a struggle. I honestly would rather live in a world where I don’t have to write it, and you don’t have to read it.
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Unfortunately, this is not the case. Russian political prisoners, activists, exiles, and everyday people who make up a wounded civil society — they all need a voice, and they all need help. My help and yours. This is how OVD-Info began, with the simple realization that there was a way to help the people being detained at the epochal 2011 protests. Back then, we began with Facebook posts, listing the names of the detainees and which OVD (an acronym for a police precinct in Russian) they were taken to.
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Detentions during protests against election fraud, Moscow, 5 December 2011 / Photos: Evgeny Feldman |
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Since then, we have considered our key role to be connecting those who need help with those who can provide it. We connect lawyers and prisoners, activists and donors. Over time, OVD-Info has grown into a massive (by NGO standards) organisation. OVD-Info covers all aspects of repression in both English and Russian. |
It gathers unique data penetrating the Kremlin’s deliberately opaque court system to then pass it on to researchers and journalists free of charge. OVD-Info engages on the global stage, demanding justice from international bodies, and filing complaints and reports aimed at stopping the Kremlin’s human rights abuses. And crucially we provide free legal aid to thousands of people — be it defending them in courts or explaining their rights to them.
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Because of OVD-Info, unjustly imprisoned Russians know that they are not facing the Kremlin’s system alone. I hope that our work makes civil society’s existence a bit less hopeless. That is why I joined OVD-Info in the first place, leaving a career in academia: because I wanted to help it reach global audiences and persuade them that civil society in Russia still exists and is in dire need of help.
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Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian state has dramatically escalated its efforts to shape the minds and loyalties of its youngest citizens. However, this battle for hearts and minds is not waged only on battlefields or through state-controlled television.
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Having reported and researched in war zones and protest movements I believe that the key to a free and democratic Europe lies in Russia — and thus it is paramount to strive towards a peaceful transformation through Russian civil society, no matter how distant it may be.
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And sometimes it seems so distant and out of reach — but then I remember little victories that might seem inconsequential today, but might be seen as early harbingers of change in the future. The story of Yegor Balazeikin, who was transferred away from abusive cellmates after a public pressure campaign. The story of Lev Skoryakin who was kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan and brought to Moscow, where our affiliate lawyer got him out of jail.
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The more recent story of 16-year-old Anya Zhuravleva who spent over a year in detention for filming herself blowing up a firework at a landfill. During our campaign in her name, Russians sent over 7,000 complaints through our platform. Anya was recently sent home from pre-trial detention, showing that public pressure still occasionally works in Putin’s Russia.
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| Anya Zhuravleva at home with her mother, June 2025 / Photo: courtesy of the family |
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To keep on working we need your support. It is impossible to run such an organisation for years on pure enthusiasm. If you, like me, believe in OVD-Info’s mission and want to help us bring hope to Russian civil society — consider donating here to celebrate our 100 issue anniversary. |
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Donate to OVD-Info to keep us running |
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A reflection from our Digest editor, Dr. Lauren McCarthy |
Dan asked me to join the Digest team in March 2023. At that point, I had been doing translations into English for OVD-Info for over a year as a volunteer, but this brought me into a more regular and permanent volunteer role. As an academic, sometimes it’s hard to find things that allow you to reach a broader audience, and this is one of those rare opportunities. |
I have loved playing a behind-the-scenes editing role in bringing the stories of Russians who are doing inspiring work, and also those who are suffering immense harms, to the readers of the Digest. It helps keep the spotlight on what really matters — people. I am immensely proud of the stories we’ve brought to life and the audience we’ve been able to reach. |
In my recent academic research, I’ve thought a lot about the power of small actions that eventually make bigger ones possible. I see my own work on the Digest as one small thing I can do to support Russian civil society and activism and our fantastic Digest team plans to continue our work for as long as we’re needed. It’s hard to believe that 100 issues are now in the books. Thank you to our readers for making us a part of your weekly routine! If you would like to make our work easier, please answer our questionnaire so we can better understand our audience!
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Please answer our questionnaire so we can better understand our audience! |
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Sources cited in the reading list are not necessarily aligned or in a formal partnership with us. It is just what the editor finds interesting. |
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The Digest is created by OVD-Info, written by Dan Storyev, edited by Dr Lauren McCarthy |
OVD-Info English newsletter privacy policy: how we work with your data |
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