A trove of thousands of internal Interpol files, leaked by a whistleblower, provides unprecedented evidence of how the Russian government is systematically abusing the global police network to hunt down and silence its critics abroad, from political opponents and journalists to exiled businessmen.
The data, shared with the BBC and the investigative outlet Disclose, reveals that Russia has weaponised Interpol’s “Red Notice” arrest system and its internal messaging channels. Analysis of the leaked documents shows that over the past decade, Interpol’s independent watchdog has received more complaints about Russia than any other country—three times more than Turkey, the second highest—and has been forced to overturn more Russian-requested arrest alerts than those from any other nation.
The Human Cost of a Red Notice
The leak puts faces and names to the statistics. One case is that of Igor Pestrikov, a Russian businessman who fled to France after refusing, on moral grounds, to divert his metals company’s products to the Russian military before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He discovered he was the subject of an Interpol “red diffusion” request, a targeted arrest alert.
“When you’re hit with a red notice, your life changes completely,” Pestrikov told the BBC. “It’s constant nerves, all the time… You can’t rent an apartment, your bank accounts get blocked… The police can ‘break into your house at any time… that’s why you’re like a cornered rat.'”
After a nearly two-year legal battle, Interpol’s Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF) ruled his case was “predominantly political” and cancelled the request, noting Russia’s evidence was “generic and formulaic.”
The Informal Requests and “Flagrant Violations”
Beyond formal arrest notices, the leak exposes how Russia uses Interpol’s secure messaging system to make informal, off-the-books requests for information on critics—a practice Interpol itself advises against. In one instance, after Interpol denied a formal Red Notice, Moscow messaged authorities in Abu Dhabi directly, asking them to trace the same individual.
In another case, Russia used the system to request “any useful information” on journalist Armen Aramyan, who had fled after covering pro-Navalny student protests. “I don’t think they expected that Germany would send them my address… but if they could at least get some sort of tiny bits of information, it would still be valuable for them,” Aramyan said upon seeing the leaked message.
Internal Interpol reports from 2024 and 2025 show senior directors expressed “serious concerns” to Russian delegates about the country’s “willful misuse” and “flagrant violations” of Interpol rules. One report revealed that Russia even attempted—and failed—to place alerts on International Criminal Court judges and a prosecutor after the court issued warrants for President Vladimir Putin.
Systemic Failure: High Passage Rates Despite Known Abuse
Despite Interpol imposing extra checks on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, the leaked data reveals a system struggling to contain the abuse. In 2024, approximately 90% of Russia’s requests still passed Interpol’s initial vetting. Yet, in the same period, the CCF was overturning roughly half of all Russian requests that were appealed.
Furthermore, the whistleblower revealed that in 2025, Interpol quietly dropped some of the additional restrictive measures against Russia, though the full extent is unclear.
Legal experts are scathing in their assessment. “Historically, it has been Russia that is one of the main perpetrators of abusive red notices,” said British barrister Ben Keith, who specialises in such cases. He and others argue that serial abusers should face suspension from the Interpol system.
In a statement, Interpol defended its safeguards, stating it “expressly forbids the use of our systems on information that is of a predominantly political… character” and that it is “untrue” to suggest it prioritises cooperation over preventing abuse. Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
For those like Igor Pestrikov, the leak confirms a terrifying reality: that the Kremlin can, with the push of a button, leverage the world’s police cooperation system to extend its repression across borders.
