Russia

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian forces committed a litany of violations, including those which should be investigated as war crimes or crimes against humanity. The invasion also marked the start of a new, all-out drive to eradicate public dissent in Russia. Through new laws and other measures, Russian authorities doubled down in their relentless attack against free speech, civic activism, independent journalism, and political dissent, in an apparent attempt to silence public opposition to the war, any criticism of the government, or any expression of social non-conformism. New war censorship laws criminalize any criticism of Russia’s war on Ukraine or questioning official narrative and state propaganda. The war and subsequent general mobilization led to considerable exodus of population out of Russia. Key political opposition leaders are behind bars, as are a growing number of critics of the authorities and of the war.