Ask a lawyer about your account if you donated after the organisation's ban.
Hide yourself from the 'top senders' list in Telegram settings.
Check the recipient's designation before donating.
Who helps (2) ↓Every organisation on this page has a designation: read the note on its card before writing.
Draft: not yet checked by a lawyerThe guides below are drafts: a lawyer has not reviewed them yet. This is not legal advice.
Draft What human rights defenders advise
Donations, Telegram Stars and money
Telegram Stars and paid reactions are not anonymous: the channel owner sees the sender and the history stays in your account. People are already being charged with treason and financing terrorism over them: in July 2026 the first treason cases (art. 275) were reported over Stars sent to the channels of the RDK and the Freedom of Russia Legion.
There is no minimum amount: a case is possible over a single Star. In September 2026 a Tyumen man got 8 years for Stars sent to the channels of Michael Nacke, Alexander Nevzorov and Alexander Shpak.
Before donating, check the recipient's status (see 'Am I on a list?'). A donation made after an organisation is designated 'extremist', 'undesirable' or 'terrorist' can lead to criminal charges; according to OVD-Info, donations made before the designation cannot be punished.
In Telegram settings you can hide yourself from the 'top senders' list. If you donated after an organisation was banned, talk to a lawyer about what to do with the account. If a case has already been opened, delete nothing: deleting can be used against you.
How donors are found. According to Mediazona, almost every FBK donation case rests on a bank statement showing a transfer to one account at the payment service Stripe. Rosfinmonitoring searches for payers centrally; cases are opened 3-4 years after the donation. Transfers from foreign cards come to light when the phone is checked at the border, and phones are examined to prove the person knew about the ban. If you have been put on the list, see 'I'm on the Rosfinmonitoring list'.
If a case is open, the donation date matters. The law in force at the time of the transfer applies (art. 9 CC); a harsher law is not retroactive (art. 54 of the Constitution). Per OVD-Info, FBK donations from 5 August 2021 to 11 February 2026 count as financing extremism (art. 282.3, up to 8 years). Only later ones may count as financing terrorism (art. 205.1, from 8 years).
What to expect. By April 2026 Mediazona counted at least 225 cases over FBK donations. Of 167 known verdicts, 114 were fines and 24 were prison terms. Terms of 10-15 years came when transfers to the Ukrainian army were added. Transfers to Ukrainian funds are tried as treason (art. 275, from 12 years).
If you have already sent money to Ukrainian funds, the Ukrainian army, or Stars to 'terrorist' channels, and there is no case yet. A transfer can't be undone: records stay with the bank, the exchange and the recipient, and cases are opened years later, including against people who live abroad and visit Russia. Human rights groups advise not travelling to Russia or Belarus and not carrying traces of transfers on your phone across the border. If a case has already been opened, delete nothing. Don't write a 'confession' before talking to First Department or your own lawyer.
A recipient can be designated on any day: on 4 June 2026 Rosfinmonitoring put OVD-Info, Perm-36, Revolt Centre and more than 30 Memorial groups on its extremist list in one go. Check the status on the organisation's Kompas card before every transfer, not just once.
Designations of organisations in this guide: OVD-Info (foreign agent, extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list); Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre (extremist, on Rosfinmonitoring list); Memorial Political Prisoners Support (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.
Advice for people who are detained or face administrative or criminal cases over protests and anti-war statements. They can tell you how to behave during questioning.
Since June 2026 it no longer works with lawyers in Russia; it gives advice and refers people onward. For criminal cases and pressure on families, also contact First Department and Prison Lawyer. The 8 800 hotline is switched off; only the bot works. Since 4 June 2026 it is on the Rosfinmonitoring list as 'extremist': do not repost its materials.
The only official bot is @ovdinfobot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
abroadextremist+ foreign agent, on Rosfinmonitoring listchecked against its site 26 September 2026
Get in touch ↓
This organisation is designated 'extremist' in Russia. It says that a consultation is not participation in its work, but messages on a phone that may be seized and reposts of its materials are dangerous. Write from a device you would not hand over if detained.