The Memorial Political Prisoners Support Project has published an investigation into video footage produced by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in criminal cases showing signs of political motivation. Researchers examined material from 70 cases opened after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and found indications of staging in approximately a quarter of the detention scenes they reviewed.
According to the researchers, mentions of the FSB in Telegram channels operated by major Russian state news agencies increased two- to threefold after the invasion began, while the proportion of reports accompanied by videos of detentions, searches and interrogations roughly doubled.
The study examined 70 selected criminal cases in which FSB video recordings were mentioned. In most cases, footage was subsequently used in publicly distributed videos. Some recordings were never released, but their existence was documented through detainees' testimony or other sources.
The researchers identified recurring elements in the videos: apparent surveillance of a suspected offense, a forceful arrest, displays of seized items, transportation of detainees and recorded confessions.
Footage showing suspects' activities before their detention appeared in just six of the 70 cases. In all six, Memorial identified signs of possible provocation by security officers.
The organization found indications of staged filming in approximately one-quarter of the detention scenes examined. The authors cautioned that the actual proportion could be higher because staging is not always apparent from published footage.
The study includes testimony from defendants in several criminal cases. Ruslan Sidiki said he had been forced to reenact his detention for the camera after being coerced into making statements. Yuriy Kayov, a resident of Kherson, reported torture followed by staged filming. Crimean artist Bohdan Ziza said he was forced to record five different versions of a confession.
These accounts are based on testimony collected by human rights defenders. They should not be treated as independently established judicial findings that torture occurred in each of the cases described.
The researchers argue that FSB videos serve not only to publicize criminal cases but also to intimidate and publicly humiliate detainees and exert pressure on their relatives.
Memorial warns that such recordings cannot automatically be regarded as reliable accounts of arrests or evidence of the guilt of the people shown in them.