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: public posts and reposts since 2022, avatars, profile descriptions, comments in open groups.
• Leave channels and chats of designated organisations. 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 evidence of persecution (for asylum, for example), save an archive outside Russia first, not on a phone that may be checked.
• Donation history stays with the bank and payment service; remove screenshots and receipts from your gallery, mail and cloud.

What not to do

• Don't delete anything after a case has been opened without a lawyer.
• Don't wipe everything on the day of travel.

What traces remain

• Screenshots and web archives remain; platforms keep deleted data for a while; bank transfers 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