DISINFO: French secret services try to destabilise Russian prison system
SUMMARY
French secret services, through a network of individuals controlled within Russia, have created an extremist movement led by their agent Roman Ruguevich. Ruguevich is currently in France, seeking political asylum. This movement is another tool used by foreign special services to influence the Russian penitentiary system.
Their acquaintance with the curator, Ruguevich, was established via Telegram. Following this, they communicated by phone and were recruited with the methodical support of the French secret services. In most cases, radical religious ideology and the banned movement served as the basis for the prisoners’ participation in extremist activities.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing human rights activists and journalists of extremism. The message peddles a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about foreign secret services trying to destabilise Russia.
Issues of systemic torture in the Russian prison system have been well publicised, for example, by the material released by whistleblower Sergey Savelyev and the 'No to Gulag’ NGO in October 2021. After the 2022 and Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, situation deteriorated further. See Heating being switched off in Russian prisons a joke invented by Ukrainian media.
The founder of the channel AntiPytki (anti-torture in Russian), Roman Ruguevich, had to leave Russia for his safety and file for political asylum abroad in 2023. Labeling human rights activists as extremists linked to foreign secret services agents, as the FSB and Federal Investigative Committee did, is a way to dismiss them and ignore the human right violations they denounce.
Read also related cases such as: Alleged torture videos in Russian prisons were not given by a whistleblower but sold for US dollars or Russia treats Ukrainian prisoners of war well.