Free Russia Foundation

Free Russia Foundation

Empowering and coordinating global efforts for democracy in Russia

Founded in 2014 in Washington, D.C., the FRF focuses on supporting civil society, international advocacy, and policy analysis on Russian affairs. Develops recommendations for Western governments, provides assistance to activists, and supports independent media and educational initiatives. Operates in the United States, Europe, and countries affected by Russian aggression.

26 Publications

Publications

26 publications
Politics

Exile by Design

Russia's Systematic Transfer of Crimean Prisoners in Violation of International Law

Report May 20, 2026
Politics

Georgian Dream's Political Prisoner System

Mass Imprisonment as a Tool of Authoritarian Rule

Report Mar 22, 2026
War

Universal Jurisdiction

Prosecuting Russia’s Crimes Against Ukrainian Civilians and POWs

Report Mar 11, 2026
Politics

How Georgia Turned Towards the Kremlin

And Cracked Down on Pro-Western Dissent

Report Feb 5, 2026
War

Russia’s Escalating Use of Terrorism Charges Against Ukrainians

Forward Note by Professor Jeff Kahn Hamlet observed that it is “an unweeded garden that grows to seed.” Grieving the murder of his father, the king, he bemoans the ugly and dangerous world in which he finds himself, an environment possessed by things “rank…

Report Dec 19, 2025
War

Russia’s Weaponization of Terrorism Charges Against Ukrainians

A Systematic Tool of Repression

Report Dec 10, 2025
Civil Society

Politics of Fear

How Repression Turned Justice Into a Tool of Control

Article Nov 20, 2025
Civil Society

Ukraine: Russia’s Continuing Violations of International Law Against Civilians and POWs

Updates for 2024–2025

Report Oct 8, 2025
Civil Society

“The release of political prisoners must be a prerequisite for negotiations”

Sergei Davidis and Ivan Pavlov on the lessons of last year’s exchange, the future of political prisoners, and practical tools for fighting for freedom

Article Aug 5, 2025

Top Expertise for a Better Understanding of Russia

Free Russia Foundation launched Free Russia Debates series In April this year, Free Russia Foundation’s Brussels Office launched a new series of discussion events called Free Russia Debates.…

Article May 30, 2024
Economics

War Economy, War Society—How Strong Is Putin Really?

How far can Putin go in militarizing Russia? What are the weaknesses of his approach?

Report Apr 19, 2024
Civil Society

2022 Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index

Free Russia Foundation (FRF) is proud to have supported the production of the 2022 Civil Society Organization Sustainability (CSOS) Index for Russia released earlier this week.

Report Oct 19, 2023
Politics

Russia’s 2023 Electoral Dynamics. War and Presidential Anticipation

“Many will be surprised to hear it, but there are still elections ,”—Alexey Navalny

Report Sep 22, 2023
War

Russia’s War in Ukraine: Filtration and Forced Relocation of Civilians Constitute Gross Violations of International Law

In a joint effort with The American Bar Association Center for Human Rights (ABA/CHR) and The Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), Free Russia Foundation (FRF) is proud to announce the release of this comprehensive report

Report Sep 5, 2023
Civil Society

How independent media emerge and change during the war in Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, war censorship was de facto established in Russia: Roskomnadzor, the government’s media watchdog, demanded that the media and information resources that cover the situation in Ukraine cite only official sources. For spreading what the Russian authorities deem…

Article Jun 21, 2023
War

War and Deported Ukrainian Children

The Issue, Response of Ukrainian Civil Society and Government, Contribution of Russian Civil Society, and Way Forward

Report May 15, 2023
Sanctions

Effectiveness of U.S. Sanctions Targeting Russian Companies and Individuals

This report evaluates the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions targeting Russian companies and individuals using the detailed trade data from 2021-2022 compiled by the Federal Customs Service of Russia

Report Jan 30, 2023
Kremlin's Malign Influence

Kremlin Influence Quarterly: Serbia Special Issue

Despite the fact that Serbia remains one of the most pro-Russian countries in Europe, and its political elites show no desire to change this status quo, Russia sustains efforts to consolidate its malign influence in Serbia

Article Dec 23, 2022
Kremlin's Malign Influence

The Kremlin and the 2021 Bundestag Elections

Attempts to Influence the Outcome and Create Instability

Report Jan 11, 2022
Kremlin's Malign Influence

The Kremlin’s Malign Influence Inside the US

The United States and its allies face a serious, persistent, and long-term threat from the current Kremlin, which wants to undermine trust in and the functioning of democratic institutions and establish networks of malign influence to advance Moscow’s strategic goals

Report Aug 12, 2021
Civil Society

The Pandemic: Anti-Western rhetoric and information campaign by the Kremlin-controlled Russian media

Today, it is hard to say whether the unraveling COVID-19 pandemic provided the reason for the Russian government to dust off their old textbooks, but the spread of the disease beyond China’s borders served as the occasion for the Russian propaganda to open a new “front” in the information war.

Report Jun 30, 2021
Economics

does the drop in oil prices threaten Putin’s regime?

The ongoing decline in global oil prices is very bad news for Putin’s regime which depends on oil and gas revenues for about 40% of its federal budget.

Article Mar 14, 2020
Foreign Agents Law

Misrule of Law: How the Kremlin Uses Western Institutions to Undermine the West

This report, a tour d’horizon of Russian active measures and subversion campaigns throughout North America and Europe

Report Jun 12, 2019
Politics

Russia scenarios 2030

This publication is the product of an initial effort undertaken by Free Russia Foundation in 2018 to stimulate public discussion of Russian scenarios, mitigate the likelihood of a…

Report May 29, 2019
Civil Society

Report: The Kremlin’s Political Prisoners: Advancing a Political Agenda by Crushing Dissent

A 282-page report on the Kremlin’s political prisoners—The Kremlin’s Political Prisoners: Advancing a Political Agenda by Crushing Dissent—was authored by the public interest law…

Report Apr 29, 2019
Civil Society

Putin’s Russia vs. Free Russia: a view from the distance

We asked several compatriots of different professions about their reasons for moving from Russia to the U.S. What was the final straw that caused it? What in their…

Article Mar 16, 2015

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