“Nowhere Is Safe”: UN Special Rapporteur Exposes Russia’s Global Transnational Repression Campaign
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 21 September 2026
In this press release, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, presents the findings of her report “Nowhere is Safe: Exporting the Rule of Fear Beyond Borders”, which examines Russia’s use of transnational repression against critics, journalists, human rights defenders, political opponents, and other exiled individuals living abroad.
Drawing on nearly 400 documented cases, the report concludes that transnational repression has become a systematic state policy aimed at monitoring, intimidating, and punishing individuals beyond Russia’s borders. It highlights a range of tactics, including assassinations, attempted killings, suspected poisonings, politically motivated prosecutions, abuse of INTERPOL mechanisms, financial blacklisting, digital surveillance, and pressure against family members remaining inside Russia.
The report argues that Russia’s transnational repression has intensified significantly since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, accompanying a large wave of political exile. While physical attacks remain a concern, the Rapporteur notes that contemporary repression increasingly relies on legal, financial, and digital tools that enable authorities to target critics across jurisdictions. The report also underscores the heightened risks faced by women fleeing gender-based violence, LGBT activists, Indigenous rights defenders, and other vulnerable groups.
Importantly, the Special Rapporteur warns that transnational repression not only violates the rights of targeted individuals but also challenges the sovereignty of host states and undermines democratic freedoms worldwide. In response, the report calls on governments to strengthen protections for exiles, scrutinize politically motivated extradition requests and INTERPOL notices, and uphold the principle of non-refoulement. It also recommends the development of a dedicated UN convention on transnational repression to establish common standards for prevention, accountability, and international cooperation.
The report represents one of the most comprehensive UN assessments to date of transnational repression as a global human rights challenge and highlights the growing need for coordinated international responses to protect exiled communities and civil society actors.
Read the full report :
