Russia launches database of convicted émigrés that will expose their personal data
Russia’s Justice Ministry has launched a public online database of Russians living abroad who have been convicted in criminal cases or politically motivated misdemeanour cases, according to the independent outlet SOTA.
The register will reportedly list the full names, dates and places of birth, and tax and social-insurance identification numbers of Russians abroad facing prosecution, along with the numbers of dedicated ruble accounts into which any income they receive in Russia will be forcibly deposited.
The database is still in test mode. So far it contains a single test entry, for a “Pyotr Petrovich Petrov”, with an unpaid fine for violating the rules governing “foreign agents”. It remains unclear when the registry will become fully operational.
The registry stems from a law Vladimir Putin signed on 4 August targeting Russians who left the country and were later convicted under criminal or political administrative statutes — including “discrediting” the armed forces, violating “foreign agent” requirements, or participating in an “undesirable organisation”.
Under the law, convicted émigrés will be cut off from a range of state and financial services. They will be unable to obtain a new passport through a consulate, register an apartment or vehicle, access many government services online, or, in some cases, use banking apps to make transfers.
