In Russia, civil society is suppressed and the economic situation of activists is broken. Money transfers from Western countries are either prohibited or difficult. Supporting organizations that oppose the regime and the war, even from within the country, can lead to fines and even imprisonment.
The majority of Russian non-governmental organizations now operate on a voluntary basis, either without any money transfer or with the help of funding from within Russia.
This is what a human rights activist from northwestern Russia says, who remains anonymous for security reasons. He opposes the president Vladimir Putin administration. His name and background organization are known to .
How do you manage and finance your activities?
– I myself have other sources of income [kuin järjestön rahoitus]. I don’t have those problems. I have worked for non-governmental organizations for several years, but I have also been a volunteer, says the Russian activist by email.
The activist reminds that, especially for public sector employees and journalists, being declared a foreign agent means, in practice, being fired from their jobs and the end of their livelihood.
– Even donating money to organizations declared as unwanted organizations and extremist (i.e. extremist organizations) or working in them can lead to consequences, including legal action, he says.
This usually means fines, arrests or even jail time.
According to him, the activity of organizations declared as “foreign agents” and “undesirable” has decreased significantly in Russia. Among others, environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and WWF, human rights organizations such as Memorial, the fact-checking network Bellingcat and the anti-corruption organization Transparency International have been declared undesirable or similar in Russia.
“The administration has succeeded in isolating us”
– It seems that the Russian administration has succeeded in isolating Russian civil society from international cooperation, the Russian activist reflects.
Many western partners have also voluntarily decided that they no longer want to cooperate with Russian organizations.
– It makes me sad. Isolation of communities is the best gift for dictators.
How do you think Western countries can and should help Russian activists in Russia?
– There is no general guideline, but it is best to talk to them and ask what is the best help for them. It is at least effective and harmless to support Russian-language media that have moved outside of Russia. They still have a large audience within the country.
Although hundreds of thousands of Russians have left Russia, there are still more than 140 million people in the country.
– Some of them continue activism. There are anti-war demonstrations, environmental protection activities at the local level, says an activist from northwestern Russia.
“We can’t help those in Russia, it’s too dangerous for them”
The Norwegian environmental foundation Bellona, which has closed its office in Russia, is trying to support the activists who left there.
“The situation is shitty,” says Bellona’s founding member Frederic Hauge. Stock photo.
Bellona closed its offices in St. Petersburg and Murmansk in March 2022, after Russian President Putin declared an offensive operation in Ukraine. Even before that, the organization had been declared a foreign agent in 2015.
– We had 18 employees in Russia. We had to fire them, but we tried to do it in a controlled, good way. We managed to keep our key personnel operating from outside Russia, says Bellona’s founder Frederic Hauge by phone from Norway.
Seven former Bellona employees now live in Vilnius, Lithuania. Bellona can help them financially.
– But we cannot help anyone in Russia. It would be dangerous for them.
In May, Bellona was declared an “undesirable” organization in Russia. In practice, it means that the organization’s activities are illegal in Russia, and participation in the activities is punishable by fines or up to four years in prison. Financing or organizing the activities of an “unwanted” organization, on the other hand, leads to a prison sentence of up to five or six years.
Frederic Hauge has to set his words carefully when talking about unofficial contacts with activists in Russia.
– We have no connections to Russia. It would be dangerous for them. Unofficially, well, we have channels for emergencies, Hauge admits.
Bellona focuses especially on the environmental effects and disadvantages of nuclear power plants and nuclear waste.
– The situation is shitty. We no longer receive information about nuclear power plant and nuclear waste accidents in Russia as before. We also cannot verify whether the information obtained there is correct, says Hauge.
Previously, Bellona received funding from, for example, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and environmental projects that were possible before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now the cooperation is frozen due to the stricter laws of Russia and the sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia.
Cryptocurrency for personal accounts in different countries
Giving financial support to activists in Russia is almost impossible, says a senior researcher Margarita Zavadskaya From the Foreign Policy Institute by email.
However, the Russians came up with other ways. They include cryptocurrencies and online collections of informal groups.
– There are alternative ways to transfer money if you use certain cryptocurrencies on personal accounts in different countries such as Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia or Kyrgyzstan. It is relatively easy for Russians to open an account in these countries or a person can choose a virtual bank account in a third country.
These are possibly prohibited or at least inconvenient means. And they are not completely safe either: with cryptocurrencies and online collections, you can run into scammers and criminals.
– To many [somessa oleviin] groups can be trusted, but attentiveness is of primary importance. It is worth checking with Russian NGOs and their trusted activists that the collection is reliable, says Zavadskaja.
The digital data protection of Telegram, the messaging service favored by Russians, is not completely waterproof, and therefore there are risks involved. However, Telegram collects money to help activists who have been fined, among other things.
– It is very important to support those who have been fined, because nowadays very few go to demonstrations [ja saa siten sakkoja]and for thousands of others less brave it [eli rahallisen tuen antaminen] is a way to show solidarity, says a Russian activist who remains anonymous.
Russian media and online sources were also used as sources, e.g. The website that publishes the decisions of the Russian ministries: https://gogov.ru/articles/unwanted-orgs and Russian opposition media, e.g. 7×7 online magazine: https://semnasem.org/ who was declared a foreign agent in Russia in July 2023.