Solidarity Zone
Support campaigns for anti-war prisoners, fundraising for lawyers and parcels.
solidarityzone.net
Political prisoners
How to support people held for political reasons: where to find the lists, how to write a letter and how to help with money without unnecessary risk. We keep no lists of our own and do not copy other people's databases.
How many people are behind bars
1,397
recognised political prisoners; over 5,097 people in the database deprived of liberty with signs of political motivation Memorial Political Prisoners Support, as of February 25 2026
1,384
people charged in anti-war criminal cases, 347 of them deprived of liberty OVD-Info (anti-war criminal cases), as of September 25 2026
520
political prisoners from Crimea, 351 of them in pre-trial detention or penal colonies Crimean Tatar Resource Center (Crimea), as of April 20 2026
Where to see the lists
First Department
Statistics on treason and espionage cases, guides on questioning and leaving Russia.
dept.one
Memorial Political Prisoners Support
Lists of political prisoners under international criteria, case descriptions, addresses for letters.
memopzk.org
OVD-Info: anti-war cases
Database of people prosecuted for anti-war views: charges, regions, current whereabouts.
repression.info
OVD-Info: political prosecution database
Politically motivated criminal cases: pre-trial measures, charges, place of detention.
data.ovd.info
Crimean Human Rights Group
Monitoring of persecution in Crimea; the 'Crimean Cases' database.
crimeahrg.org
Crimean Tatar Resource Center
Counts of political prisoners from Crimea, including Crimean Tatars.
ctrcenter.org
Viasna: political prisoners in Belarus
List of political prisoners and repressed people in Belarus.
prisoners.spring96.org
Politzek.me (Belarus)
Database of Belarusian political prisoners with addresses for letters.
politzek.me
Dissidentby (Belarus)
Profiles of current and former political prisoners, parcel fundraising, help after release.
dissidentby.com
How to write a letter
- Every letter is read by the facility's censor. If they object to it, it may be held back or never delivered.
- Do not write about the criminal case, other defendants or witnesses, or about politics and the war in harsh terms.
- No threats, swearing, codes or hints, no explicit content, nothing about security arrangements.
- Write about everyday things: yourself, books, the weather, cultural news. Ask a couple of questions so there is something to reply to.
- Letters in Russian get through faster; in another language they may be held for translation.
- You can sign with a pseudonym. For replies, give an email address outside Russia, not a Russian mailbox.
- According to OVD-Info, there are no known cases of prosecution for corresponding with political prisoners as such.
F-pismo
The prison service's official system. You can sign with a pseudonym and track status. Foreign cards via the intermediary prisonmail.online.
f-pismo.ru
ZT (Zonatelecom)
Requires sign-in with a phone number. According to OVD-Info, foreign cards are accepted; a reply form costs extra.
zt.ru
Rodnaya Svyaz
Registration requires accurate personal details and a phone number. The site opens unreliably from abroad.
rodnayasvyaz.ru
Vestochka
A project of OVD-Info, which is designated extremist in Russia. You can sign with a pseudonym and receive replies. Open through a VPN.
vestochka.io
Telegraf Online
Sends telegrams, including to pre-trial detention centres and colonies. The site may not open from abroad.
telegraf.ru
Russian Post
Ordinary or registered letter. A reply needs a return address — poste restante works; enclosing an envelope and paper helps.
pochta.ru
Politzek.me: letter to a political prisoner in Belarus
Addresses of Belarusian political prisoners. Keep letters neutral, with no politics or other people's names, or the censor won't pass them.
politzek.me