The structure of political repression in Russia changed significantly during the first nine months of 2026, according to the latest Repression Barometer from the Memorial-backed Political Prisoners Support project.
The organization calculated that the overall number of people facing politically motivated prosecution changed by less than 5% compared with the same period in 2025.
The number of people prosecuted in cases related to freedom of expression fell by 107 people, or 22%. The number prosecuted under laws that Memorial categorizes as restricting freedom of association rose by 50%.
In 67% of the politically motivated criminal prosecutions recorded by the group, at least one Criminal Code article fell under the investigative jurisdiction of the FSB.
All classifications of political motivation and case categories are based on Memorial’s own methodology.