Monthly Report on Human Rights violations in the Republic of Karelia
Karelian human rights defender Yana
August 2025
Executive Summary
This report addresses recent developments in the Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation, in August 2025. It highlight three key areas of concern: the continuing criminalization of freedom of expression, environmental degradation in and around Lake Ladoga, and violations of freedom of assembly and cultural rights at the Sandarmokh memorial site.
The documented incidents reveal a pattern of violations of civil, political, social, cultural, and environmental rights. They include the use of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code to express peaceful dissent, failures in ecological management leading to health risks, and the cultural rights as intimidation of participants at memorial events. These violations are inconsistent with the Russian Federation’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and other international instruments.
Total number of violations: 8
Methodology
The findings presented in this report are based on open-source information including official communications by Russian authorities, regional and federal legislation, credible media reporting, and research conducted by independent experts and academic institutions. Where possible, the report cross-references multiple sources to verify accuracy. Video documentation, scientific assessments of Lake Ladoga, and testimonies from participants at commemorative events were also considered.
The report does not claim to be exhaustive. It focuses specifically on three sets of incidents in August 2025 which illustrate systemic patterns of repression, neglect, and disregard for international standards.
Findings
A. Freedom of Expression
According to the official website of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Karelia, on August 7h 2025, the Petrozavodsk City Court sentenced Irina Igorevna Bystrova to five and a half years of a suspended sentence, with a four year probation period and a two year ban on administering Internet pages, under the article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of he Russian Federation”. The sentence was made based on allegations by the Regional Directorate of the Federal Security Service about ms. Bystrova’s posts on her personal social media page on the platform “Vkontakte”, regarding military strikes on Ukrainian territories by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. According to various news agencies, the posts were regarding the Russian strikes of the Kakhovka HPP, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Konotop.
Ms. Bystrova did not deny the allegations.
Per ms. Bystrova’s own words, she is pacifist and humanist and that people should be against wars. Her posts were simply the expression of her disagreement with the ongoing war and did not call for any public disturbance or violence.
The August arrest was not the first time when ms. Bystrova was charged with the article 207.3. According to the “Political Prisoners. Memorial’ independent human rights project” ms. Bystrova was fined 600.000 rubles fine for violating article 207.3 and article 205.2 (‘Public calls for the commission of terrorist activity, public justification of terrorism, or propaganda of terrorism’) on December 27th,2022, for her anti-war posts on her personal social media page “Vkontakte”. On December 19th 2023 ms. Bystrova was prosecuted for violating part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (‘Public acts aimed at
discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation’) and was fined for 30.000 rubles. On December 6th 2024, a criminal case was initiated for violating article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for her anti-war posts on her personal social media page “Vkontakte”. She was sentenced for 2 months under house arrest. On September 23rd, 2022, ms. Bystrova was placed on the “Terrorist and Extremist registry” maintained by the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation. The continues application of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code, which criminalized the exercise of freedom of expression, constitutes a violation of Article 19 of the ICCPR. It also runs contrary to Article 19 of the UDHR and places the Russian Federation in clear non-compliance with its obligations under Article 55 and 56 of the UN Charter to promote and respect fundamental human rights and freedoms.
https://karelia.sledcom.ru/news/item/2009300/
Ecological concerns
In the first half of August the mass death of fish from the trout farms in the lake Ladoga was reported. According to the message on the telegram channel of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Republic of Karelia , the mass death of trout is due to the abnormally high temperatures in July, which increased the overall temperature of the lake to 22°C and lowered the levels of oxygen in the lake.
Some days later the residents of a settlement in Koyrinoya reported of thousand of deceased trout being disposed near the settlement and a tourist resort. The fish was thrown into an old silage pit.(see Annex 1, Figure 1) The Severomorsk Directorate of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor), conducted an inspection on the of the company “Koyrinoya LLC” following the reports of the improper disposal of the deceased farmed fish. During the on-site visit various violations were identified. The silage pit in which the biological waste was placed did not meet sanitary requirements. The silage pit was divided into two sections, one lacked any waterproof barrier and the other was enclosed by concrete walls only on three sides, in which the biological waste was placed. Due to a connecting passage between the two sections, the waste was able to flow to into the unprotected part and contaminate the soil.
A full report on the violation of the disposal of biological waste is not publicly available, the information was taken from official media channels.
On the 22rd of August 2025, a second improper fish disposal was discovered in the Impilahti settlement, near the shore of the lake Ladoga, in close proximity to the residential areas and tourist resorts. The biological waste was thrown in a dirt pit behind the local trout farm, which was later covered up5. (see Annex 1, Figure 2). Improper disposal of large volumes of deceased fish poses acute and long-term ecological risks, regardless whether such practices occur near or at a distance from surface waters. The primary concern is the rapid decomposition of fish tissue, which during the anaerobic breakdown stage produces leachate rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as toxic byproducts such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and organic acids, which in large quantities compromise soil fertility, groundwater safety, and agricultural productivity. When fish are improperly disposed news bodies of water, these hazards amplify through hydrological connectivity. Nutrient-rish effluents accelerate eutrophication, leading to dissolved oxygen depletion, algal blooms, and secondary fish kills in nearby waters. The release of pathogens poses risks to both aquatic ecosystems and public health.
Moreover, decomposition odors attract scavengers and vermin, creating additional vectors for disease transmission.
The ecological risks posed by improper disposal of fish biomass must also be understood in the context of the already fragile state of Lake Ladoga. Scientific assessments over the past three decades have consistently documented the lake’s transition from an oligotrophic to a mesothrophic system, largely driven by nutrient enrichment from municipal and industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and inadequately treated wastewater. Elevated phosphorus and nitrogen levels have contributed to eutrophication processes, particularly in the littoral zones and bays such as Volkhov bay, where recurring algal blooms and oxygen depletion haven reported (Rumyantsev et al., 2020; Boreal Env. Research, 2017).
Russian Federation and international studies further highlight growing microbiological pressures in nearshore areas adjacent to settlements, where bacterial contamination already threatens water quality and public health (Institute of Limnology RAS, 2021; Limno.ru 2024). Adding large quantities of decomposing fish to soils in proximity to the lake risks compounding these stresses. The release of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and other byproducts from anaerobic decomposition that can leach into surface and groundwater, will only amplify nutrient loading and microbiological risks. In turn, this may intensify eutrophication, accelerate biodiversity loss, and undermine existing recovery programs such as “Clean Ladoga”, which aim to stabilize nutrient dynamics.
In this light, the disposal incidents in the Republic of Karelia around the shores of Lake Ladoga should not be seen as an isolated violation, but rather as a critical aggravating factor in a basin already facing structural ecological challenges. Without immediate mitigation and systemic enforcement of waste management standards, Ladoga’s long-term ecological resilience and its role as the largest freshwater reservoir in Europe will be further jeopardized.
The ecological harm is inseparable from the human rights implications for the local Karelian population. Many communities rely on Lake Ladoga for drinking water and reports of foul odors and unsafe drinking water point to a direct violation of the United Nations General Assembly resolution 64/292. Local Karelian communities use Lake Ladoga for fishing, a traditional activity of Karelian and Veps people, closely linked to the culture of the peoples, which the pollution has impacted negatively. This constitutes a violation of Article 27 of the ICCPR. Furthermore, the improper disposal of biological waste and the continuing ecological deterioration of Lake
Ladoga represent not only and environmental emergency but also a violation of international obligations undertaken by the Russian Federation. Given that Lake Ladoga discharges into the Neva River, which subsequently flows into the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, pollutants entering the lake are ultimately carried downstream, contributing to the contamination of the Baltic Sea. This contravenes Russian Federation’s commitments under the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environments of the Baltic Sea Area (HELCOM).
2 https://memopzk.org/figurant/bystrova-irina-igorevna/
3 https://t.me/mcx_karelia/1195
4 https://gubdaily.ru/news/azh-puxnet-vsya-burlit-v-karelii-obnaruzhili-zhutkoe-ozero-gniyushhej-ryby/
5th of August
On August 5th 2025, during the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Repressions in Sandarmokh, the annual commemorative mourning ceremony was disrupted by members for the organization Russkaya Obshchina (Russian Community) (see Annex 1, figure 3). Attendees of theevent reported harassment and intimidation, while invited national and international speakers were interrupted and harassed during their addresses.
Video material published by the media outlet Barents Observer documents one member of Russkaya Obshchina verbally insulting and threatening a visitor of the memorial. On the same day, official communication channels of Russkaya Obshchina disseminated videos as part of a public smear campaign against attendees of the ceremony, alleging harassment and assault against their members. No evidence has been provided to substantiate there allegations.
On August 7th 2025, Ms. Olga Tuzhikova, a representative of the political party Yabloko, submitted a formal request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karelia to investigate the unlawful actions of Russkaya Obshchina members. To date, no action has been taken by the competent authorities to examine the incident.
Moreover, the day following the events in Sandarmokh, human rights defender Yana received an e-mail from a citizen from the Republic of Karelia of Karelian decent, claiming that after the memorial service he was summoned to the police station where he was questions by the authorities and was threatened to be prosecuted for extremism and separatism.
The authorities’ failure to intervene or investigate raises concerns under international human rights law the ICCPR, to which the Russian Federation is a State Party, guarantees the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (Article 21) and the right to hold opinions without interference (Article 19). By not acting to prevent or address intimidation, the State may have failed in its positive obligations to safeguard these rights.
Additionally, the absence of any investigation or protective measures may give rise to concerns under Article 9 (right to liberty and security of person) of the ICCPR. The threats and intimidation faced by participants, when left unaddressed, create a situation in which individuals are not effectively protected against interference with their personal security. The duty to ensure security does not solely encompass protection against arbitrary detention by the State but extends to safeguarding individuals against foreseeable threats and harassment by non-State actors, where the State has knowledge of such risks.
Furthermore, the selective inaction of the authorities raises issues of discrimination according Article 26 of the ICCPR, which guarantees equality before the law and equal protection without discrimination. The lack of official response to attacks on politically and historically sensitive commemoration may indicate discriminatory treatment of specific groups or viewpoints, particularly where the exercise of memory and cultural rights is linked to politically sensitive narratives. The appearance of impunity for Russkaya Obshchina further exacerbates the erception of unequal protection under the law.
Finally, acts of intimidation at a site of historical memory such as Sandarmokh risk undermining the right to take part in cultural life (Article 15 of the ICCPR) and contravene the principles of respect for victims of mass atrocities and their descendants, as reflected in the UN Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation.
In sum, the incident demonstrated not only violations of freedom of assembly and cultural rights, but also raises grave concerns regarding the rights to personal security and equal protection of the law. The inaction of the competent authorities constitutes a failure to meet core international obligations incumbent upon the State.
Recommendations
It is recommended that the United Nations call upon the Russian Federation will start complying with its international human and environmental obligations. In particular, the state should bring national legislation and practice into conformity with Article 19 of the ICCPR by the ceasing the application of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code against individuals exercising their right to freedom of expression, and by reviewing convictions, including that of Ms. Irina Igorevna Bystrova. The authorities should ensure that journalists, human rights defenders, and citizens freely express dissenting views without fear of prosecution or harassment.
The state should adopt urgent measures to prevent improper disposal of biological waste and to address the ecological deterioration of Lake Ladoga. This includes enforcing sanitary and environmental standards, publishing independent assessments of the lake’s condition, and implementing its obligations under the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area. The Russian Federation should guarantee safe drinking water, ecological health, and the cultural rights of Karelian and Veps communities in accordance with UNGA resolution 64/292 and Article 27 of the ICCPR.
The authorities should further ensure the protection of freedom of peaceful assembly, expression, and cultural rights in relation to commemorative events at Sandarmohk, and other similar events.
Effective investigations should be conducted into acts of harassment and intimidation by members of non-State groups, and measure should be adopted to guarantee equal protection of the law and non-discrimination, as required under articles 9, 19, 21, and 26 of the ICCPR, as well as Article 15 of the ICESCR.
To ensure the compliance with the recommendation above it is recommended for the UN to consider establishing monitoring mechanisms, including periodic reporting, independent assessments, and engagement of Special Rapporteurs on human rights and environmental rights, to ensure accountability and verify that remedial actions are implemented effectively.