Russia escalating repression to silence opposition to war in Ukraine, UN human rights expert says

Russia escalating repression to silence opposition to war in Ukraine, UN human rights expert says World Sep 22, 2025 2:31 PM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — A U.N. expert monitoring human rights in Russia said Monday that “repression is escalating,” targeting civilians, journalists and even Ukrainian prisoners of war in an attempt to silence dissent and opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Mariana Katzarova, the U.N. special rapporteur focusing on human rights in Russia, presented her latest report that said Russian authorities have stepped up their use of “criminal prosecution, long-term imprisonment, torture and ill-treatment” to quell opposition to the war ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

“The repression is escalating … and becoming massive,” Katzarova told journalists before presenting the rep