Last summer, Dmitry Gudkov, a Russian opposition politician living in exile in an EU country, was met by two plain-clothed police officers at London’s Luton Airport. He was flying to the UK to attend a friend’s birthday and was surprised to be intercepted by the officers as soon as he exited the plane.
Instead of arresting him, the police officers wanted to warn Dmitry. They informed him that he was on a list of people in danger and asked for details about his accommodations and phone usage.
Dmitry Gudkov is the co-founder of the Anti-War Committee, an organization that opposes the war in Ukraine. He is wanted in Russia for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian army.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a crackdown on opponents within Russia led to many activists and independent journalists fleeing the country. Now, Kremlin critics living in Europe are reporting increased efforts by Russia to silence, threaten, and persecute them abroad.
Analyst Mark Galeotti, who studies the Russian security services, believes that the campaign against Russia’s “enemies” abroad is escalating due to growing paranoia within the Kremlin. With dissent stifled within Russia, the focus is shifting to opponents seeking refuge in the West.
Various anti-Kremlin activists, including Ksenia Maximova and Alesya Marokhovskaya, have had encounters with authorities or received threats that indicate heightened efforts by Russia to target its critics abroad. In response, UK Counter Terrorism Policing has been increasing resources to counter hostile state threats, particularly from Russia.
The Russian government has been accused of engaging proxies, such as criminal gangs, to carry out attacks on its opponents abroad. Experts believe that following the turmoil caused by the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian intelligence services have regrouped and intensified their operations abroad.
The intimidation tactics employed by Russia aim to deter political opposition while making life difficult for critics living abroad, as seen in cases like Olesya Krivtsova, a young activist who had to leave Russia after facing threats for her anti-war posts on social media. “Siempre están pensando, ¿cómo podemos hacer más, cómo podemos presionarlos?” Varios otros activistas que viven en el extranjero también han tenido sus pasaportes cancelados sin previo aviso. Muchos tienen casos penales abiertos en Rusia – sin un pasaporte válido, no pueden contratar abogados o hacer pagos en su país. La única forma de resolver el problema es regresar a Rusia. Para Olesya, regresar significaría arresto y prisión. Ahora ha solicitado una identificación temporal noruega para refugiados. “En Rusia, ahora solo tengo un derecho – el derecho a ir a prisión. Mi pasaporte está cancelado. Esto muestra la esencia de su crueldad”, dice la joven activista. “Ya han destruido por completo mi vida y la de mi familia… Nunca van a parar.”