The Vyvvozhuk project, which assisted Russians facing political persecution, has announced that it is ending direct aid because of a lack of funding. On December 11, the team said that from the new year it would stop legal and evacuation consultations, while its hotline would continue only until the end of December.
The activists said evacuations had always been their core mission, but grant-making organizations had mostly refused to cover those costs over the past three years. According to the team, one evacuation costs from 800 euros, and the initiative had relied mainly on targeted private donations. They also cited rising anti-migrant sentiment in Europe, the suspension of humanitarian programs for Russians, constant workload, and security concerns.
Vyvvozhuk was launched in October 2022 after political repression intensified in the wake of the war in Ukraine. The small team, many of whose members worked anonymously, focused on helping people facing politically motivated criminal cases and unable to leave Russia safely. The activists said they received 60 to 70 requests for evacuation every month.
Over three years, the project evacuated 207 Russians and provided 1,772 consultations on departure and legalization abroad. The team says that, taken together, the people it helped were facing 768 years in prison. The activists stress that their work did not end at the border: they also dealt with extradition cases, kidnappings, attempted illegal deportations, and access to humanitarian documents.
Among those assisted, the publication names Olesya Krivtsova, who was prosecuted under two criminal charges over anti-war posts and managed to leave Russia, as well as Vladimir from Tyumen and Roman from the Smolensk region. The project helped Roman leave for Armenia on January 18, 2025. Before winding down direct aid, the team made its knowledge base public for people who may need urgent evacuation.