March 04, 2025

Women's Rights in Wartime


Women's Rights in Wartime
A feminist activists rally in Yekaterinburg in 2019. IvanA, Wikimedia Commons.

After the start of the Russia's war on Ukraine, many journalists, lawyers, and feminists left the country over concerns about criminal prosecution for their anti-war stance. Meanwhile, the Russian government has poured significant resources into discrediting feminist ideas, international standards for combating gender-based violence, and the individuals who support them, according to independent publication Glasnaya.

Because of the exodus of human rights workers and feminists, there are now fewer independent nonprofits in Russia that offer help to survivors of domestic violence. Despite ongoing scrutiny, one of the few remaining organizations still providing legal and advocacy support is the Consortium of Women’s NGOs.

In June 2022, Russian State Duma member Andrei Lugovoi called for an investigation into whether the Consortium was a foreign agent serving the interests of Great Britain and promoting what he described as "LGBT values."

Consortium employee Sofia Rusova said activists and informers have repeatedly filed complaints about the organization with the Ministry of Justice and Roskomnadzor over the past three years, even attempting to block the group’s website. She noted that, although she has experienced more frequent online harassment, it has not stopped her from continuing her work. Rusova added that activists must now be especially cautious when discussing certain topics, explaining that conversations about sex education could be misperceived as LGBT propaganda.

Glasnaya noted that President Vladimir Putin has pardoned thousands of convicts who participated in the war, including those who committed serious offenses against women and girls. One Wagner Group fighter was previously sentenced to 17 years in prison for the murder of 23-year-old student and his former girlfriend Vera Pekhteleva. Lawyer Daria Gryaznova has argued that releasing such offenders reinforces the notion that violence is acceptable, which can lead to further tragedies and deny survivors access to justice. Legislative changes also allow individuals to sign a contract for military service with the Ministry of Defense before any investigation or trial concludes, effectively halting criminal prosecution.

The invasion of Ukraine ended Russians’ ability to seek international recourse as well. On March 16, 2022, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe and ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, meaning its citizens no longer fall under European Court of Human Rights jurisdiction. Rusova pointed out that the ECHR had often provided crucial moral and material compensation for survivors when domestic legal avenues were exhausted. Shortly before Russia’s removal from the Council, Senator Andrei Klishas advised citizens to defend their rights in Russian courts, but human rights activist Mari Davtyan said these courts frequently require mediation even in cases of violence, although mediation is legally reserved only for civil proceedings.

Because Russian officials emphasize “traditional values,” domestic violence is widely regarded as a non-existent problem, Davtyan added. Regional crisis centers that receive large state grants reportedly focus on preserving marriages at any cost, leaving women responsible for issues such as low birth rates. Rusova said these programs rarely address the role men play, framing the problem as a relationship solely between a woman and the state.

Rusova expressed concern that the period of progress in human rights, which began after World War II, appears to have ended in Russia and, perhaps, in the wider world. However, she maintains that abandoning core values is not an option and hopes the movement’s efforts will endure the current pressures and ultimately flourish again.

You Might Also Like

Three Years, 95,000 Dead
  • February 23, 2025

Three Years, 95,000 Dead

Three years after the start of Russia's War on Ukraine, more than 95,000 Russian troops have died.
Hell Behind Bars for a Teenager
  • February 16, 2025

Hell Behind Bars for a Teenager

A 14-year-old Russian girl accused of terrorism spent almost a year in a pretrial detention center, where she was beaten and subjected to sexual violence.
Making a List
  • January 27, 2025

Making a List

The Ministry of Internal Affairs may be creating a database of LGBT persons to make future prosecutions easier.
The Patriarch's Abortion Prevention
  • October 22, 2024

The Patriarch's Abortion Prevention

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill will send letters to pregnant women in 16 regions to dissuade them from receiving abortion care.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955