A whistleblower handed over thousands of Interpol files exposing Russia’s widespread abuse of the global police network to target dissidents abroad.
Shared with BBC World Service and Disclose, the documents reveal arrest requests against opponents, tycoons and journalists framed as criminals, with Interpol’s watchdog logging more complaints against Russia over a decade than any nation—triple Turkey’s total, alongside the most reversals.
Post-Ukraine invasion checks failed to stop it, as tougher rules were dropped in 2025, though Interpol credits bolstered safeguards for major arrests yearly while noting their personal toll. Red notices prompt global detention across 196 nations; diffusions focus on select countries.
“When you’re hit with a red notice, your life changes completely,” said businessman Igor Pestrikov, targeted after fleeing to France in 2022. “Go to the police and say, ‘I’m in the Interpol system,'” risked jail, while hiding froze accounts and rentals amid “constant nerves, all the time”—his family scattered fearing police raids, as “the stress, the nerves, the pressure, the lawlessness inflicted on you” undoes households.
He rejected pre-war orders to limit metals firm sales domestically, citing arms fears beyond pricing gripes as “a moral issue as well”; this and his Ukrainian ex-wife prompted seizures, but the CCF quashed his alert after two years, deeming Russia’s “generic and formulaic” claims political.
Files confirm Russia leads 11-year complaints with over 700 targets securing 400+ wins. “Historically it has been Russia who is one of the main perpetrators of abusive red notices,” said barrister Ben Keith, handling pro-Ukraine or raid cases, while Yuriy Nemets noted failed checks: “It’s not hard to game the system.”
Informal messages bypassed rules to track journalist Armen Aramyan and others like Lyubov Sobol. Internal 2024-2025 reports decried “wilful misuse,” with 90% requests passing initially yet half contested ones overturned; easing followed despite warnings.
Interpol blamed misunderstandings and stressed neutrality while Russia stayed silent. Keith urged suspensions: “If countries are found to be significantly and persistently abusing red notices and diffusions, then they should be suspended from the system for a period of time.” Pestrikov warned Russia “with the push of a button, can enter anything, pin any crime on you.”