‘We won’t give up that easily’: OVD-Info director tells Meduza how the group is moving to shield supporters after Russia’s ‘extremism’ designation

OVD-Info is one of Russia’s most prominent human rights organizations, having helped tens if not hundreds of thousands of Russians navigate repression and violence at the hands of law enforcement.

Since December 2011, the group has supported people facing political persecution and documented repression throughout the country.

On June 4, Rosfinmonitoring — Russia’s financial monitoring agency — added OVD-Info to a list of “extremist” organizations, along with dozens of other groups tied to Memorial, which appeared on the same list in April.

Meduza spoke with OVD-Info director Alexander Polivanov about what his team plans to do next. ...