Whether the biography is checked
In Russia, the number of criminal cases is growing after checking citizens when crossing the Russian border. The reason may be a post in social networks or a donation. What exactly is checked on the border and who applies to? This is what can become the basis for checks and “polls” of Russians at the entrance to their homeland, and in some cases for criminal cases against them.
According to experts, over the past two years in Russia hundreds of Russians could be brought to administrative responsibility in order to access their equipment and conduct an additional check at border points. How checks on the border and how to prepare for them, I learned DW. On the border of the Russian Federation, people with European and American visas are checked by Natalya, the name was changed at the request of the heroine crossed the border between Estonia and Russia in February.
She says that the employee of the border point, turning over the foreign passport of Natalia, settled on the page with the fresh visa of Latvia category "D". She looked at Natalia studyingly, and then, not asking the questions, as Natalya says, she asked her to go into the room for the so -called "survey". Natalya recalls that the FSB officer, who asked her questions, was harsh, was interested in the visa of Latvia, asked about the attitude towards "his" so in Russia called a full -scale invasion of Ukraine.
The audit, according to her, lasted several hours - the FSB Federal Security Service pierced the telephone of Natalia. Since then, Natalya has been trying to call in Russia through Belarus - local border guards, according to her, have not yet been interested in her European visa or the content of her phone. The check of the phone may end in criminal proceedings starting from the year, Russian border guards regularly conduct inspections of those entering the Russian Federation and leaving Russia.
Any person can come under suspicion. There are cases when foreign citizenship, a residence permit of another country or a visa of Western countries was the reason for the audit. If a person finds something “reprehensible”, he is usually immediately detained for an invented offense-a mat in a public place, disobedience to the requirements of police officers or something like that, in rare cases, this can happen a few days after crossing the border.
Such a scheme is popular among security forces, says Evgeny Smirnov, a lawyer who collaborates with the “first department”. According to him, while the person was detained due to "petty hooliganism", the security forces coordinate the initiation of a criminal case against him. Russian laws guarantee the secret of correspondence, but in practice it is quite difficult to refuse to unlock the phone on the border, the lawyer adds: “Either you give the phone or“ create a problem ”.
This inspection is not issued in any way. If you formalize, then the act of voluntary issuance of the device.” When crossing the Russian border in January, she was checked by her phone. The FSB officer discovered a dollar of $ 51 on the account of the Ukrainian-American Foundation Razom for Ukraine, which helps Ukrainian refugee centers. This turned out to be enough for a criminal case "On the Stateismm Forces" against the girl - supposedly because of the collection of funds for the needs of the Ukrainian army.
At the same time, the girl managed to get to Yekaterinburg, where her parents live. There she was detained by the outfit of the patrol service for the fact that she allegedly cursed in a public place. While the girl was in a special -reception, a criminal case "On the Stateismman" was opened against her. Suspicious information is looking for border guards on the phone by keywords, lawyer Smirnov explains, most often look for information on keywords on the phone: in instant messengers, e -mail, SMS.
According to him, if last year they paid a lot of attention to the subscription to Telegram channels of organizations that are officially considered “terrorist” and “extremist” in Russia, then recently the border guards have been interested in information about sabotage, arson of military enlistments, and relay cabinets on the railway. As a rule, they watch subscriptions to pro-Ukrainian publics on social networks and Telegram channels, personal correspondence.
In some cases, the border guards already have a guidance on a person if the entering is in the "black list" of the security forces. In such cases, they know in advance what to approximately look for in his electronic devices, ”Smirnov explains. Such a person may not even suspect a persecution preparing against him, as was the case with the US citizen and Russia, Yuri Malev. Two weeks later, he was detained in St.
Petersburg and placed in a pre -trial detention center, charged with the “rehabilitation of Nazism” - two of his anti -war publications in “Odnoklassniki” associated with St. George ribbons became an occasion. A denunciation of him was written by a summer pensioner from St. Petersburg, the materials of the criminal case said. There are no open sources in order to find yourself in the base of the suspects in advance, Smirnov clarifies.How to protect yourself during the border crossing the Universal Council before a trip to Russia, experts say, issue a new foreign passport without “suspicious” visas, as well as prepare a mobile phone and laptop.
For example, on a trip to take a new phone with additional profiles in messengers or social networks, says the founder of the Ark project Anastasia Burakova.
In this case, it is necessary to prepare the device in advance by filling it with safe content. During the interrogation, it is worth briefly answering questions about the goals of the trip, the rest - about family, friendship, political views - we can politely emphasize that they do not concern the process of crossing the border, “I am not interested in politics,” Burakova tells.
According to her, a relatively safe option for entering Russia is an intersection first of the border with Belarus, where "there is practically no border control for Russian citizens." Checking electronic devices on the border over the past two years has become a "technically advanced", says Denis Yagodin, director of innovation of the "social technology greenhouse".
According to him, at some border points in Russia, equipment began to be used, which allows you to unload all the information that is stored on the phone on a computer for further analysis. The information that has appeared that Russian security forces can restore remote correspondence in messengers on the phone, if true, then due to updating the hardware and software complex at the borders.
He also advises not to use Russian SIM cards in the phone abroad, as Russian operators can track the location of a person, at least to the country where he is located, while IMEI helps to track the location of a person only in Russia. Before the trip to Russia, Yagodin advises to use the instructions of the "Greenhouses of Social Technologies", which is periodically supplemented by new tips.
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