BBC: Russia uses Interpol to persecute Kremlin opponents abroad

Russia systematically abuses Interpol mechanisms and uses international wanted lists to persecute Kremlin opponents abroad. About writes BBC, citing "thousands of files" provided by an unnamed informant from the organization.

Journalists note that Russia uses Interpol's wanted lists to request the arrest of political opponents, businessmen, and journalists, claiming that they have committed crimes.

The documents show that over the past decade, the independent Commission for the Control of Interpol Files (CCF) has received more complaints about Russia's actions than any other country in the world. The number of such complaints is three times higher than that of Turkey, which is second on the list.

The BBC notes that, according to the documents obtained, it was complaints about Moscow's requests that most often resulted in the cancellation of red notices (request (a request by a member state to other states to help locate and arrest a person wanted in a criminal case and subsequently extradite him or her – Ed. At least 700 people wanted by Russia have filed complaints with the CCF, and in at least 400 cases, the requests have been canceled.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Interpol introduced additional checks on requests from Russia "to prevent any potential abuse of Interpol channels to prosecute individuals within or outside the conflict in Ukraine." However, according to the informant, some of these restrictions were quietly lifted in 2025.

Russia used Interpol's internal messaging system to collect information about people even after official arrest requests were rejected, the BBC adds. The documents show cases where Moscow asked foreign law enforcement agencies to provide information on the whereabouts of journalists, "oppositionists" and allies of Alexei Navalny.

Lawyers who specialize in Interpol cases told the BBC that Russia is one of the biggest violators of the organization's rules. They note that Moscow's requests often disguise political persecution as financial or other criminal charges.

In a response to journalists, Interpol said it has mechanisms in place to prevent abuse and that they have been strengthened in recent years. At the same time, the organization declined to comment on the details, citing "strict data processing rules."

• In July 2023, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with The Washington Post that in 2019, when he traveled to Brussels for the NATO summit, he was detained by Interpol because Russia had declared him a "war criminal" in absentia.