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
Ukrainians: leaving Russia and occupied territories
Helping to Leave volunteers help people leave occupied territories, or Russia where they were taken against their will, for free: bot @helpingtoleave_bot, hotline +380 93 177 64 58. A call to a Ukrainian number from a Russian SIM card stays in the operator's records.
Exit checks can be harsh: human rights groups advise removing photos and chats linked to the army or Ukrainian symbols from your phone beforehand and not carrying extra devices.
For Ukrainians staying in Russia, the Civic Assistance Committee helps with documents, refugee status and temporary asylum.
Russians who want to help Ukrainian prisoners of war or detainees: the prison service sees letters and transfers. Any financial help linked to Ukraine, including help to prisoners of war, can be treated as high treason (art. 275 CC, up to life imprisonment). Talk to First Department before any transfer. Sign letters with your own name and write only about everyday things. Don't send money to people on the 'terrorist' list.
The Kolotilovka-Pokrovka crossing has been closed since August 2024. The only humanitarian corridor from occupation into Ukraine now runs through Russia and Belarus to the Mokrany-Domanove crossing (Volyn region), entry only, on foot. Ombudsman staff, Caritas Ukraine and Helping to Leave meet people there. If you are being expelled or held in a temporary detention centre for foreign nationals (TsVSIG), contact the Civic Assistance Committee.
Many Ukrainian human rights groups are 'undesirable' in Russia: the Crimean Human Rights Group, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, ZMINA, the Center for Civil Liberties, MIHR (Media Initiative for Human Rights), Rubikus. Information on political prisoners in Crimea is collected by the Crimean Human Rights Group and the Crimean Tatar Resource Center. Taking part in the work of an 'undesirable' organisation is fined (art. 20.33 CAO), and a repeat means a criminal case; a donation to such an organisation is a criminal case straight away (art. 284.1 CC). So it is better to contact them through relatives outside Russia.
Searching for a detained civilian or a deported child: from Russia the safest channel is the ICRC, 8 800 600 92 69 (free). Relatives in Ukraine or abroad file a statement with Ukraine's police and report to the National Information Bureau (1648) and the Coordination Headquarters (0 800 300 529).
Designations of organisations in this guide: Rubikus.helpUA (Rubikus e.V.) (undesirable); Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) (undesirable); ZMINA Human Rights Centre (undesirable); Center for Civil Liberties (undesirable); Crimean Human Rights Group (undesirable); Crimean Tatar Resource Center (undesirable). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.
Free help for Ukrainians to leave occupied territories and Russia, where they were taken against their will: route, escort, humanitarian and psychological support.
A call to the +380 number from a Russian SIM card stays in the operator's records.
The only official bot is @helpingtoleave_bot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Ukrainian state body for Crimea: map of places where political prisoners are held, letters project, admission and documents for Crimeans, safety guide (August 2026).
A Ukrainian state body: contact from Crimea is risky. According to First Department, about 10% of treason and espionage cases in 2025 were linked to messages or alleged contacts with Ukrainian intelligence services. No status found.
Free legal help through a network of advice centres across Ukraine, many of which consult remotely. They help people affected by the war: claims to the Register of Damage and court cases for families of missing persons.
Calling a Ukrainian number from occupied areas or from Russia is risky: better contact them after you leave. The website and consultations are in Ukrainian. They have no separate programme for civilians held in Russia.
Documents persecution in the occupied territories and Crimea, analyses collaboration cases, advocates for civilians in captivity. No individual hotline.
'Undesirable': contact from Russia or the occupied territories carries a risk under CAO art. 20.33 and art. 284.1 of the Criminal Code. This is a data source for the editors, not a help service. OVD-Info, 08.11.2024.
Other ways to reach them: +38 067 502 08 01 (a call stays in the phone log and with the operator)
2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Campaigns for the release of civilians, keeps a map of enforced disappearances and a guide for relatives of civilian hostages; runs the People First campaign with Memorial.
'Undesirable'. You can read its guide for reference, but some phone numbers in it are outdated: check numbers against official websites. OVD-Info, 17.04.2024.
Documents violations in Crimea and southern Ukraine: political cases, disappearances, conscription, fines for speech; quarterly and annual reviews. No direct help to families described on the site.
'Undesirable' since 2022: messages, passing on materials and reposts from Crimea or Russia carry a risk. The Russian version of the website has not been updated since February 2025; on Kompas's 'Political prisoners' page the link leads to /ru/. Radio Svoboda, 06.05.2022.
Other ways to reach them: +38 067 224 01 73 · crimeahrg@gmail.com (a call stays in the phone log and with the operator)
Keeps count of Crimean political prisoners, documents violations, mobilises legal, social and humanitarian aid for prisoners and families, submits to the UN.
'Undesirable' since February 2024. For families in Crimea any contact or donation carries a risk. It is safer for families if relatives outside Crimea and Russia contact the centre. OVD-Info 06.02.2024, Krym.Realii 07.02.2024.