Russian activists' IDs annulled in crackdown on war dissent

Persecuted by the Russian authorities, opponents of Russia's war with Ukraine have suddenly found their ID cards invalidated. Human rights defenders fear repression. DW talked to those affected.

Russian activists who denounce Russia's war against Ukraine report that the authorities have annulled their ID cards. ID cards are essential in Russia, while a Russian citizen abroad must have a passport when crossing borders. This rule does not apply to borders between Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. After the war in Ukraine began and subsequent mobilisation in Russia, many Russians fled to these countries with just an ID card. According to calculations by the Russian portal "The Bell", around 110,000 Russians have taken refuge in Armenia alone.

The Omsk Civic Association's co-founders, Danil Chebykin and Richard King, were the first to report the invalidation of their ID cards. The Omsk Civic Association condemns issues in their city, protests against the war in Ukraine, and fights against corruption. The Russian authorities classify this opposition organisation as "extremist."

Both activists left Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. After some time, they lost access to their Russian banking apps and SIM cards. Later, they discovered through the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs website that the authorities had declared their ID cards invalid. This is not an isolated case.

In an interview with DW, Chebykin and King stated that without ID cards, they cannot issue a power of attorney for their lawyer. The lawyer represents their interests in a Russian court, where the activists are trying to appeal the classification of the Omsk Civic Association as "extremist" and a "foreign agent". Chebykin adds that he does not have a valid ID card or passport.

Problems with their passports arose after they contacted the Russian embassy in Armenia to apply for a passport. Chebykin was informed that his ID card had been "replaced with a new one". The embassy worker explained to the activist that he would have to "solve the problem in his own country", i.e., Russia.

Activist Olesia Kryvtsova from Arkhangelsk also wanted to apply for a passport, but it turned out that her ID card was also declared invalid. In Russia, she is on the list of "terrorists and extremists", accused of "discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation" and "justifying terrorism". The young woman was arrested in 2023 but managed to escape from house arrest to Norway, where she works as a journalist.

Krivtsova told DW that she learned about the invalidation of her ID by accident. She wanted to check the document's status after reading about the issue faced by her colleagues from Omsk. She explained how, four months ago, everything was fine. Then she went to the Russian consulate, and an employee scanned her ID. The activist suspected the invalidation might be due to her unusual signature on the document. When she got it, she didn't sign it but wrote the word 'freedom' and drew a peace symbol under the document, she explains. However, her lawyers argued this cannot be the reason for the invalidation. To find out the cause, a lawsuit would need to be filed in Russia against the invalidation of the ID.

According to Maksym Olenichev, a Russian human rights project First Department lawyer, Russian authorities provide formal reasons for invalidating ID cards, such as "false information indicated on the document". The community of lawyers and journalists defends citizens wrongly accused of crimes against the state in Russia.

Olenichev points out that conducting transactions in Russia, including bank transfers or property sales, is impossible without a valid Russian ID card. Russian citizens cannot obtain a passport to travel and stay in other countries.

Boris Bondarev, former advisor to the Russian mission to the UN in Geneva, who opposes the war in Ukraine, believes that the invalidation of Russian ID cards has not yet become systematic. However, he notes that the Russian Federation's regional authorities mainly use this repression method. The former diplomat does not rule out that it will be extended to other opposition activists.