Russia intensifies border scrutiny for dissidents

Russians returning to their home country have been subjected to thorough checks and interrogations simply for having donated to Ukrainian organizations, commenting on Russia's war on Ukraine online or having "suspicious" visa entries in their passport. In some cases, they were even subjected to criminal proceedings.

Take the example of Natalya (not her real name), who crossed from Estonia into Russia in February 2024. She says a border official looked through her passport and discovered a Latvian category D visa, which can be converted into a long-term residence permit in the Baltic country.

The officer took a close look at Natalya and asked her to follow her into a room for an "interview," where she was questioned by an agent from Russia's FSB domestic intelligence service. He was stern, inquired about Natalya's Latvian visa and asked about her view on the "special military operation," which is what Russia calls its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The FSB agent also went through Natalya's phone. "He didn't find anything suspicious, but he did copy my cellphone's IMEI number," the woman told DW. This unique 15-digit serial number can be used to identify phones worldwide.

The interrogation lasted several hours, according to Natalya. After this incident, she now only enters Russia via Belarus, where border officials have shown no interest in her EU visa or the contents of her phone.

Tough border checks since 2022

Russian border officials began carrying out thorough checks of persons entering and leaving the Russian Federation in 2022. Individuals have been checked because of their foreign citizenship, a residence permit for another country or visa issued by a Western nation.

When something objectionable is found by officers, the person is then arrested on the pretext of having committed an offense like swearing in public, disobeying police officers or something similar. In some cases, this arrest can happen a few days after the person crossed into Russia.

This type of behavior is widespread among Russia's security forces, according to lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov. Representatives from different authorities will coordinate the launching of criminal proceedings, while an individual is detained for acts of "minor hooliganism," he said.

This is what happened to 32-year-old Russian national Ksenia Karelina, formerly known as Ksenia Khavana before her divorce, who became a naturalized US citizen in 2021. After entering Russia in January 2024, Kareline had her phone searched. An FSB agent discovered she had made a donation of $51 (€47) to the Ukrainian-American foundation, Razom for Ukraine ("Together for Ukraine").

This, in turn, prompted Russian officials to accuse her of supporting the Ukrainian army and initiate criminal proceedings against her. Karelina eventually managed to reach the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, where her parents live, but was then arrested by a police patrol for alleged public swearing.

Searching phones for telltale keywords

Russian border officials often look for certain keywords when trawling through a person's smartphone messenger apps, emails and text messages, Smirnov told DW. They usually check whether the person joined pro-Ukrainian message groups on social networks and which Telegram channels they subscribe to.

Sometimes, border officials have their sights on a person who has been blacklisted by Russian security forces. These individuals may be completely unaware that criminal proceedings are already being prepared.

This was the case for Yuri Malev, a Russian-American dual national. The 60-year-old entered Russia in December 2023 and was arrested in St. Petersburg two weeks later. He was taken to a pre-trial detention center and accused of "rehabilitating Nazism." Russian officials based their accusation on two posts Malev had made on the Russian Odnoklassniki social network against the war in Ukraine. According to official documents, a pensioner in St. Petersburg had reported Malev.

Experts recommend getting a new passport without "suspicious" visa entries and preparing phones and laptops before entering Russia. They suggest even using a completely new phone with new messenger and social media profiles for the trip to Russia, said Anastasia Burakova, the founder of the Ark Project, a group that supports Russians ostracized due to their anti-war views.

"They could contain [harmless] pictures of baby cats or chats with your mother about non-political subjects," she said.

This article was originally written in German.