From Activists to “Terrorists”: CORRECTIV Examines the Shrinking Space for Russia’s Indigenous Peoples

German investigative outlet CORRECTIV has published an investigation into the growing repression of Indigenous rights activists in Russia, focusing on the cases of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt and the criminalization of the “Aborigen Forum.”

The investigation traces how the space for independent Indigenous activism in Russia has narrowed over recent years. Laws on “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations,” increasing state control over Indigenous organizations, and the criminalization of international cooperation have made independent advocacy increasingly risky.

A major turning point came on December 17, 2025, when Russian security forces carried out coordinated searches and interrogations of at least 17 Indigenous activists and experts in several regions. Egereva and Leongardt were subsequently arrested and accused of participating in a “terrorist organization.” They face up to 20 years in prison.

CORRECTIV highlights the contradiction between the authorities’ official promotion of Russia’s Indigenous peoples and the prosecution of those who independently defend their rights and participate in international advocacy.

The investigation also shows the broader consequences: some activists have left Russia, while others have stopped their public work. For many Indigenous representatives, exile has become the only way to continue speaking about their communities, land, culture and rights.

The cases of Egereva and Leongardt, CORRECTIV argues, are therefore not isolated prosecutions but part of a wider transformation of the environment for Indigenous activism in Russia.

Source: CORRECTIV, August 17, 2026.