GENEVA – In a chilling assessment of the reach of the Kremlin’s security apparatus, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, has issued an urgent call for a new, binding international convention to combat the state-sponsored targeting of dissidents living beyond Russia’s borders.
In a comprehensive report titled "Nowhere is safe," presented Monday to the UN Human Rights Council during its 63rd session, Katzarova outlines what she describes as a "systematic, institutionalized" campaign by Russian security services to silence opposition figures, journalists, and former officials across Europe and beyond. The report, which draws on a database of nearly 400 documented cases, argues that the global community faces a "dangerous protection gap" that Moscow is actively exploiting to hunt down critics with impunity.
The Scope of the Crisis: A Sharp Escalation
The report highlights a dramatic shift in the tempo of transnational repression following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As an estimated 650,000 to 900,000 Russians fled the country—the largest wave of emigration in over a century—the state’s long arm followed them into exile.
According to civil society data analyzed by the Rapporteur, the average annual incidence of transnational repression rose roughly eightfold between the 2014–2021 period and the 2022–2024 window. This increase is not merely statistical; it represents a fundamental shift in how the Russian state views its citizenry, moving from domestic control to a global strategy of intimidation and physical liquidation.
Chronology of Coercion: From Targeted Killings to Legal Warfare
The report meticulously chronicles the evolution of Russia’s tactics, illustrating that the threats facing dissidents have become increasingly lethal and legally complex.
- 2019: The Berlin Precedent: The killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in a Berlin park served as a grim precursor to modern state-sponsored assassinations. German judicial authorities ultimately determined that the operative responsible acted under direct orders from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
- 2022: The Post-Invasion Surge: Following the invasion of Ukraine, the intensity of surveillance, harassment, and attempts on the lives of those deemed "traitors" escalated sharply.
- 2024: The Defector’s Death: The assassination of Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian military pilot who had defected to Ukraine, in Spain, signaled a brazen willingness to conduct targeted attacks on European soil. Spanish authorities have explicitly characterized the act as a state-sanctioned hit.
- 2025: The Rise of In Absentia Convictions: The report highlights a staggering increase in in absentia criminal proceedings against those abroad. While only four such cases were recorded in 2022, that number ballooned to 157 by 2025.
- 2026: The New Legislative Frontier: In August 2026, Russia enacted Federal Law No. 284-FZ. This legislation effectively weaponizes the "foreign agent" designation, placing Russians abroad who are convicted of crimes or labeled as dissidents on a public registry. This list triggers 14 distinct categories of restrictions, including the freezing of assets and the mass revocation of passports, rendering many individuals "de facto stateless."
Data-Driven Repression: The Tools of the State
Beyond physical violence, the report exposes how the Kremlin utilizes international infrastructure to exert control.
The Weaponization of INTERPOL
A key focus of the report is the manipulation of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). By issuing "Red Notices"—alerts requesting that law enforcement agencies locate and provisionally arrest a person—Moscow has attempted to turn the global justice system into a tool for political persecution. The report cites the case of businessman Igor Pestrikov, whose Red Notice was ultimately deleted after INTERPOL’s internal oversight body acknowledged the request was "predominantly political."
The "Terrorist and Extremist" Database
The report notes that Russia’s domestic list of "terrorists and extremists"—a tool often used to freeze the financial lives of critics—has grown to encompass 21,541 individuals. Because international banks in the Americas and Europe treat this list as a "red flag," the inclusion of an individual on this registry often acts as a digital guillotine, severing their access to the global financial system and effectively bankrupting them in exile.
The "Foreign Agent" Export
Katzarova’s findings underscore that the repressive legal environment within Russia has been successfully exported. The designations of "foreign agent" and "undesirable organization" are no longer confined to the Russian Federation; they are being applied extraterritorially, forcing individuals to navigate a labyrinth of legal risks simply by existing outside of Russia.
Official Responses and Diplomatic Impasse
The report provides a scathing account of the Russian government’s lack of cooperation. Throughout her mandate, Katzarova has been met with a wall of silence. Russia has consistently ignored her information requests and has categorically refused to allow her to conduct a fact-finding mission within its borders.
The UN Human Rights Council, which has previously issued stern condemnations of Russia’s domestic crackdown, now faces a dilemma. While international law includes existing conventions that cover individual abuses—such as the right to life and freedom from torture—there is currently no specific treaty that defines "transnational repression" as a distinct legal category.
Moscow has not yet issued a formal, comprehensive rebuttal to the specific findings in the Nowhere is safe report, adhering to its established policy of dismissing UN human rights assessments as politically motivated interference in its internal affairs.
Implications: The Case for a Binding Convention
The central recommendation of Katzarova’s report is the drafting of a binding UN convention that specifically targets transnational repression. The proposed treaty would:
- Define Transnational Repression: Create a clear legal framework that categorizes the practice as a violation of sovereignty and human rights, preventing states from hiding behind "security" justifications.
- Establish Prevention and Accountability: Impose specific duties on member states to protect individuals on their territory from foreign state harassment and to prosecute those acting on behalf of foreign intelligence agencies.
- Reform INTERPOL: Suspend the rights of states that are found to be systematically abusing Red Notices, effectively barring them from using the organization’s platform to harass political dissidents.
- Regional Standards: Encourage the creation of regional legal protocols to harmonize how nations handle the protection of exiled activists.
A Global Challenge to Sovereignty
The implication of the report is clear: the current international order is failing to protect those who seek refuge from authoritarian regimes. When a state can project its violence across borders, intimidate citizens in foreign coffee shops, and manipulate international financial systems to ruin lives from thousands of miles away, the concept of national sovereignty itself is undermined.
As the Human Rights Council’s 63rd session continues through October 7, the pressure on UN member states to move beyond rhetoric and toward binding legal action is mounting. The debate over a new convention will likely be contentious, pitting the necessity of human rights protections against the diplomatic realities of a divided UN. However, as the number of those targeted continues to rise, the argument for a unified, legally binding response becomes increasingly difficult for the international community to ignore.
For the thousands of Russians living in exile, the message from the UN is clear: they are not merely individuals in flight, but part of a global, systemic struggle for the right to dissent—a right that requires the full force of international law to defend.
