How Russia uses Interpol for its own ends: a leak reveals shocking scale Russia has systematically abused Interpol’s mechanisms to carry out political persecution abroad, according to an investigation by BBC and Disclose. Thousands of internal Interpol documents obtained by journalists show that over the past decade, more complaints were filed against Russia than against any other country. A significant share of Russian requests were deemed politically motivated and in violation of the organization’s rules. Moscow used Interpol not only to hunt down opposition figures, but also tried to pressure the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. In 2024, Russia submitted requests targeting ICC judges and the prosecutor, but they were rejected. The documents show that via Interpol, Russia obtained data on the whereabouts of Lyubov Sobol, former FSO officer Gleb Karakulov, and other individuals who had fled the country. After the invasion of Ukraine, Interpol introduced additional filters for Russian requests, yet even in 2024 around 90% of them passed initial screening. Roughly half were later rejected by the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files — but only after complaints were filed. In 2025, however, some restrictions on Russia were quietly lifted — one of the most alarming findings of the leak. Interpol told the BBC that some of the allegations stem from critics not fully understanding how the organization’s mechanisms and procedures actually work.