Old posts and subscriptions: clean up or not

For anyone with old posts, reposts, channel subscriptions or donations who lives in Russia, travels there or may return.

The 5-minute minimum

• The key rule: while there is no case, removing risky content in advance is reasonable, because courts treat an old post that is still online as a 'continuing' offence. If a case has been opened, a report drawn up or your phone seized, don't delete anything without a lawyer: deletion can be used against you and won't remove what the authorities have already copied.
• Start with what everyone can see. According to OVD-Info ('extremist', 'foreign agent'), in 2025 many 'discrediting' cases were over old statements. Check public posts and reposts since 2022, avatars and profile descriptions, comments in open groups, and symbols of organisations that were later designated 'extremist'.
• Check your subscriptions: channels and chats of designated organisations, 'extremist' and 'terrorist' channels. According to OVD-Info, a subscription alone has not led to a case, but it is visible if your phone is inspected. Leave them in advance. Telegram keeps your subscription list on its servers.
• Do the big clean-up weeks before a trip, not the night before.

If you are at risk

• If your posts are needed as evidence of persecution, for example for asylum, first save an archive of them outside Russia and not on a phone that may be checked. Most social networks let you download your data.
• Likes and comments are deleted through your activity history: Instagram → Your activity, YouTube → History → Manage history → Interactions, Facebook → Activity log. In services without bulk deletion, close your profile first.
• Donations: payment history stays with the bank and the payment service and cannot be deleted. Remove screenshots, emails and receipts about donations from your gallery, mail and cloud in advance.
• A deleted account won't be found during an inspection, but the question 'why don't you have Telegram or social media?' also comes up. Decide what is less risky for you.
• If you are not sure whether a particular post is dangerous, ask the lawyers of Net Freedoms Project or First Department ('foreign agent').

What not to do

• Don't delete anything after a case has been opened or a report drawn up without a lawyer.
• Don't wipe everything on the day of travel: sudden mass deletion is noticeable.
• Don't count on a deleted post being gone: copies stay with whoever took a screenshot, in archives and with the platform itself.

What traces remain

• Screenshots and page archives stay with whoever made them, including people who write denunciations.
• Platforms keep deleted data on their servers for some time.
• Bank transfers and Stars cannot be deleted.

Designations of organisations in this guide: OVD-Info (foreign agent, extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.

current as of 26 September 2026. More: First Line: old posts as a 'continuing' offence; First Department: punishment for old posts (foreign agent); First Line: deleting likes and comments on social media (updated 17.07.2025); OVD-Info: 'discrediting' and 'fakes', lowering the risk (foreign agent, extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list); First Line: VKontakte, the security services' favourite network