Russia’s deputy justice minister defends a new blacklist that effectively imposes ‘civil death’ on dissidents living abroad

Russia’s Justice Ministry has published a registry of people subject to “temporary restrictive measures” on its website.

The list contains 12 names, with Mikhail Khodorkovsky first. It also includes political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann, businessman Yevgeny Chichvarkin, philanthropist Boris Zimin, and several others.

Clicking on a name in the registry opens an entry with personal information — date and place of birth, taxpayer identification number, and pension insurance number — along with the grounds for the restrictions.

Deputy Justice Minister Oleg Sviridenko discussed the registry’s creation in an interview with TASS the previous day. He said the law establishing it — dubbed the “civil death” law on social media — was “neither excessive nor a violation of constitutional rights, but a justified effort to restore the rule of law and justice.”

“I can’t rule out that, as the law is applied, it may need fine-tuning and targeted adjustments to ensure it is fully consistent with the broader legal framework for protecting national sovereignty,” Sviridenko said.

In late July 2026, the State Duma passed a law in both its second and third readings introducing “temporary restrictive measures” against people outside Russia who have been found guilty of an offense in the country and are “evading” an administrative or criminal penalty. Among other provisions, the law called for a registry — effectively a list of “enemies of the people.” The registry began operating in test mode in late August.

Placement on the registry effectively amounts to “civil death.” Restrictions include freezing funds in Russian banks, barring access to online banking, prohibiting sales of real estate and vehicles, banning all transactions conducted under a power of attorney, and denying access to consular services.