Persecution Geography
Political persecution mapped across 2,857 Russian cities — including occupied Ukrainian territories. Geographic distribution of state repression from the Arctic to the Caucasus.
The map of repression drawn in their own data.
Geographic Scope
The persecution geography dataset maps the distribution of political repression across Russia's entire territory. Every city where a political prisoner was arrested, tried, or incarcerated appears in this database — creating a geographic picture of how the state exercises repression across its federated regions.
One of the most significant findings is the inclusion of occupied Ukrainian territories in the database. Cities in Russian-occupied Crimea — including Alushta, Armiansk, Bakhchysarai, Kerch, and Simferopol — appear alongside Russian cities, as do settlements in the occupied Donbas. Their presence in the repression database documents the application of Russian criminal law in territories recognized internationally as Ukrainian.
Occupied Ukrainian Territories in Database
Crimean and Donbas cities appearing in the persecution database — evidence of Russian criminal jurisdiction applied in occupied Ukrainian territory
| City | Territory | Status | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simferopol | Crimea (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Administrative center of occupied Crimea — prosecutions originating here indicate Russian criminal jurisdiction applied |
| Sevastopol | Crimea (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Major naval base city — cases include Crimean Tatar persecution |
| Kerch | Crimea (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Site of Kerch Strait incident — persecution of Ukrainian fishermen and activists |
| Alushta | Crimea (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Crimean Tatar community — religious persecution cases documented |
| Armiansk | Crimea (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Northern Crimea — industrial city, cases include environmental activists |
| Bakhchysarai | Crimea (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Historical Crimean Tatar capital — significant religious minority persecution |
| Donetsk | Donbas (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Cases predating and post-2014 occupation |
| Luhansk | Donbas (occupied Ukraine) | In database | Cases extending Russian prosecution into occupied eastern Ukraine |
Top Regions by Persecution Cases
Russian federal subjects with highest documented persecution activity
| Region | Federal District | Known For |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow | Central | Political opposition, journalists, anti-war activists — highest case concentration |
| Moscow Oblast | Central | Courts and detention facilities serving Moscow capital cases |
| Republic of Tatarstan | Volga | Jehovah's Witnesses and Islamic minority persecution |
| St. Petersburg | Northwestern | Navalny network, anti-war protesters, LGBTQ+ cases |
| Bashkortostan | Volga | Muslim minority groups, religious extremism charges |
| Chechen Republic | North Caucasus | High-profile disappearances, LGBTQ+ persecution, political dissent |
| Dagestan | North Caucasus | Islamic groups, anti-mobilization protests (2022) |
| Ingushetia | North Caucasus | Protest cases from 2018–2019 Magas protest movement |
| Mordovia | Volga | Hosts women's penal colonies — Penal Colony #2 notable |
| Komi Republic | Northwestern | Remote penal colonies — many political prisoners transferred here |
Access Full Geographic Dataset
Geographic intelligence from Russian Vault — all data collected via open source methods