If you feel very bad or are thinking about suicide
You are not alone, and this can be survived. If a life is in danger, call 112. Below are free lines where someone will listen. State lines in Russia are tied to your number: do not talk about your case or politics there.
Russia (4)
+7 495 989-50-50Emergencies Ministry emergency psychological help State line. The call is linked to your number: don't talk about your case or politics.
051Moscow psychological help service 051 (from a Moscow landline), 8 495 051 (from a mobile). City government service.
8 800 250-18-59Russian Red Cross psychological support Also works with military families.
8 800 2000 122Children's helpline 8 800 2000 122 (also 124 from a mobile). For children, teenagers and parents. Run by a state foundation.
EU (1)
112Emergency number Works in Russia, EU countries and Georgia. In Lithuania, 112 takes acute suicidal crises in Lithuanian, English, Russian and Polish (UNHCR).
Germany (1)
0800 111 0 111TelefonSeelsorge 0800 111 0 111, 0800 111 0 222, 116 123. German only (as their international help page says).
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
Need psychological support
If you are in danger right now or thinking about suicide, call 112 or a crisis line. In Russia: the Emergencies Ministry's psychological help +7 495 989-50-50; in Moscow 051 (from a mobile 8 495 051); Russian Red Cross 8 800 250-18-59, 7:00 to 22:00 Moscow time; for children, teenagers and parents 8 800 2000 122. Numbers for other countries: see 'Psychologists and communities abroad'.
Anxiety, sleeplessness, guilt and burnout after a search, a loved one's arrest or years of activism are common reactions. Human rights groups advise not waiting until things get really bad. Projects for people facing persecution don't need the context explained.
Where to turn. First Line: psychological bot @PsyFirstlineBot, free and anonymous, one-off chat sessions, you can come back. Nora: two free sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist for activists, volunteers, NGO and media staff, political prisoners and their families (apply via the website). After violence by officers: the Committee Against Torture Foundation (@bfkpp_help), a psychologist and a support group, anonymously if you wish.
Specific groups. LGBTQ+: Sphere, up to 4 free sessions (the project is a 'foreign agent'; the 'LGBT movement' is designated 'extremist' in Russia). North Caucasus: Marem and SK SOS (designated 'extremist') have psychologists for the people they help. Rory Peck Trust pays for therapy for freelance journalists. If you have left: see 'Psychologists and communities abroad'. Belarusians: see 'Released / deported'.
Psychologists and doctors. Russia has no law on psychological help and no psychologist confidentiality. By law, doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists can all be questioned as witnesses (art. 56 Criminal Procedure Code). A doctor discloses information without your consent at the request of an investigator, court or prosecutor (art. 13 of Law 323-FZ). In practice it is safer not to tell a specialist in Russia the details of your case or names.
Psychiatrist. A one-off voluntary consultation is not in itself 'registration', but it stays in your medical record. Outpatient monitoring is set by a panel of doctors only for severe chronic disorders and can be appealed (Law 3185-1, arts. 26-27). It comes with restrictions on driving licences and firearms; since 2025 police take part in monitoring some of these patients, and since March 2026 there has been a federal register.
Without consent. An examination or hospitalisation without consent is allowed only for a severe disorder, if the person is a danger to themselves or others, is helpless, or would seriously deteriorate without help. A court reviews the hospitalisation (Law 3185-1, arts. 23, 29, 32-35).
Online sessions and documents. Russian online therapy platforms store data in Russia and, under their own rules, hand it over when security agencies request it (Yasno's policy says so, for example). Ask a psychologist in advance what they write down, where they keep it and when they may break confidentiality: for First Line, a risk of suicide or a threat to a child. If you are thinking about a complaint or asylum, ask for a written report with the date and the specialist's name and qualifications.
Designations of organisations in this guide: Sphere (foreign agent, "LGBT movement" designated extremist); North Caucasus SOS Crisis Group (foreign agent, extremist). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.
Free, anonymous psychological support for people affected by, or afraid of, political persecution and for their families; an information line and safety guides.
Psychological help is in a separate bot, @PsyFirstlineBot: free, anonymous, one-off chat sessions with trained volunteer psychologists, 18+, no diagnoses or medication. Confidentiality is broken if there is a risk of suicide or a threat to a child.
The only official bot is @FirstLineHelpBot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Free psychologists and psychiatrists for activists, volunteers, NGO and media staff, political prisoners and their families: two sessions (sometimes more) on application via the website. There is also a peer-support bot run by volunteers and spaces in Moscow and St Petersburg.
They reply within 10 days by email, Signal or Telegram. Choose Signal for the reply. The bot @nora_psyhelp_bot offers peer support, not a psychologist.
The only official bot is @nora_psyhelp_bot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Free help for people who suffered torture or ill-treatment by police, prison staff, the National Guard and other officials: a psychologist and a support group, payment for medicines and tests, documents for court, lawyers.
A charitable foundation registered in 2019. Its website says it is not a 'foreign agent'. It helps people at liberty and in custody, their families and witnesses. You can write briefly and anonymously, without your real name.
The only official contact is @bfkpp_help; the foundation's website links to it.
Free short crisis therapy (usually 1-3 sessions, sometimes up to 5) for people in Russia who went through detention, a search, threats or other state pressure. Online support groups are available for a donation.
No website, only Telegram, and no legal entity is named. Only the crisis help is free; groups are by donation. If Telegram does not open, use a VPN; delete the chat with the bot if your phone may be checked.
Legal advice for people who have left (documents, residence permits, visas, asylum, extradition risk), temporary housing, free psychologists, mutual-aid chats by city.
Lawyers via the Telegram bots @kovcheglive_bot and @EmigrantHelpBot; psychologists and housing via forms on the website. Psychologists: 4-week online groups; waiting time from a few days to weeks. The Ark itself is a 'foreign agent'. The project was set up with support from the Anti-War Committee, designated 'terrorist' in Russia since March 2026. The Kovcheg website footer links to the Anti-War Committee: do not follow that link or subscribe to its channels from a device that could be checked.
The organisation itself is not designated, but in Russia the 'LGBT movement' is designated 'extremist', and the authorities may present help to LGBT people as taking part in it. Messages on a phone that may be seized are dangerous. Write from a device you would not hand over if detained.