Russia Policy Monitor No. 2686

ANOTHER INDEPENDENT VOICE GOES SILENT
Independent Russian election monitoring service Golos, in operation since 2000, has ceased operations. Its closure follows the conviction of its co-chair, Grigory Melkonyants, who was recently sentenced to five years in prison for organizing the operations of a group labeled by authorities as "undesirable." All of Golos's resources will be taken offline, and all its branches, which previously spanned across Russia's regions, will be shuttered.

The Russian Justice Ministry first designated the Golos Association a "foreign agent" in 2013. Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 as a result of alleged ties between Golos and the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which had previously been designated as an "undesirable organization" in 2021.

Golos stated that the court ruling has made ceasing operations unavoidable, as it "places not only every participant in Golos at risk of criminal prosecution, but even those who simply sought consultations or legal assistance." The organization's statement reads, "Justice, sadly, does not always prevail — it must be fought for. And there is always a risk of losing. This time, we lost. Farewell." (Meduza, July 8, 2025)

MORE POWER BACK TO THE FSB
Legislation that would restore the FSB's authority to run its own network of pre-trial detention centers has now passed Russia's State Duma. This initiative would undo a 2006 reform that handed control of these detention centers to the Federal Penitentiary Service in accordance with Council of Europe recommendations. It would give the FSB the ability to hold those suspected or accused of crimes such as treason, espionage, or extremism in its facilities.

Supporters of the bill contend that the measure is necessary because of increased threats from terrorism and foreign intelligence since Russia began its war on Ukraine in 2022. Vasily Piskarev, chair of the Duma's Security and Anti-Corruption Committee and co-author of the bill, said that the law would "prevent suspects in national security cases from engaging in unauthorized communication with other detainees." He said that the number of cases related to treason, terrorism, espionage and extremism have tripled since 2015.

The law, however, is part of a wider expansion of internal surveillance by Russian authorities – a trend critics argue is aimed at silencing dissent, pressuring civil society, and strengthening the Kremlin's grip on power during the ongoing war in Ukraine. The bill must now clear a single vote in the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, before it can be signed into law by President Vladimir Putin. (The Moscow Times, July 9, 2025)

SEEKING CLARITY ON RUSSIAN SUBVERSION
The United Kingdom has found three men guilty of arson in a March 2024 plot that prosecutors alleged was orchestrated by Russia's intelligence services as part of a campaign of disruption across Europe. The fire was one of more than 70 incidents linked to Russia that the Associated Press has documented since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to Kevin Riehle, a lecturer at Brunel University in London, Russian military intelligence operating through the Wagner group was likely responsible for the plot.

Several European intelligence officials told the AP that they are concerned that the risk of injury and death is rising as Russia uses untrained saboteurs to plant explosives or commit arson across Europe. Most of Russia's recruits are foreign – including Ukrainians – and many are young without criminal records who are hired for only a few thousand dollars. Russia has increased its reliance on such amateurs since its spies were expelled from the West following the poisoning of Sergey Skripal in the UK in 2018. Incidents linked to Russia include a plot to place explosives on cargo planes and plans to commit arson on shopping centers in Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania. (Associated Press, July 9, 2025)