Russia’s leading domestic violence support center announced Wednesday it was shutting down over intensifying government pressure and a loss of resources due to its “foreign agent” designation.
Founded in 2015 and formally registered in 2018, Nasiliu.net (“No to Violence”) had been the country’s most prominent organization supporting survivors of domestic violence.
The organization says it has provided direct assistance to more than 10,000 people.
It handled nearly 8,000 individual cases at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022-2023, including legal support, therapy, emergency shelter and online counseling.
“This November, Nasiliu.net would have turned 10. We wanted to mark the anniversary with you to remember everything we’ve done and to gather strength to keep going,” founder and director Anna Rivina wrote in a farewell letter.
“But unfortunately, that’s no longer possible. Nasiliu.net is closing,” she said.
Throughout its existence, Nasiliu.net ran nationwide public-awareness campaigns that brought the issue of domestic violence into the mainstream, developed Russia’s first dedicated mobile app for victims and launched a comprehensive website with resources and legal guidance.
Russia’s Justice Ministry labeled Nasiliu.net a “foreign agent” in December 2020. The ministry also designated Rivina as a “foreign agent” in early 2023, accusing her of distributing “false information” about the Russian military.
Despite never receiving foreign grants, the NGO said it faced mounting restrictions due to its “foreign agent” designation. It was first barred from holding events, followed by educational programs.
Eventually, donors and partners began to withdraw, cutting off access to funding and basic services.
“More and more people were afraid to be associated with us,” Rivina wrote. “The space for our work kept shrinking until there was none left.”
The final blow came in September 2025, when the group lost access to all domestic donations, which had been its primary source of funding.
Nasiliu.net said it would continue accepting cases until Dec. 30 before formally ceasing operations.
“Nasiliu.net no longer exists, but the violence does,” Rivina wrote, urging the public to continue supporting the psychologists and lawyers who still work independently.
Russia decriminalized first-time domestic violence offenses that result in “minor harm” in 2017, a move that activists say has enabled abusers and strengthened the culture of impunity around these crimes.
Subsequent attempts by activists and opposition lawmakers to pass legislation to protect women yielded no results. Many have warned that domestic violence cases in Russia will increase rapidly as more men return from the front lines in Ukraine.
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