On 1/9 a law requiring Internet services to store users’ personal data on Russian territory entered into force. On 2/9 two men in Tomsk were convicted of disseminating extremist materials online. On 3/9 activist Darya Polyudova went on trial in Krasnodar on extremism charges. On 4/9 a court in Kurgan declared two Jehovah’s Witnesses’ publications extremist. On 10/9 the Council of Muftis said it would appeal against a court ban on a book for including alleged ‘extremist’ Koran verses. On 7/9 Kommersant deleted from its website quotes referring to Putin and Medvedev from an interview with Aleksei Navalny. On 10/9 a Moscow court sentenced Vladimir Podrezov to 27 months for painting a star atop a skyscraper in Ukrainian colours. On 17/9 a court sentenced Kirill Korzhavin and Vladislav Shipovalov to two years’ prison for painting Lenin statues in Novosibirsk in Ukrainian colours. On 11/9 Aleksandr Gorbunov, alleged organizer of a 2010 attack on Oleg Kashin, was released from pretrial detention. On 16/9 in a Kommersant interview, Elena Vesyolova, wife of one of three charged over the attack, accused Pskov governor Andrei Turchak, of ordering the assault. On 15/9 a Tatarstan court sentenced NGO head Rafis Kashapov to three years’ jail for separatism and inciting hatred. On 18/9 a Bryansk court jailed a woman for 10 days and fined parents of three minors for dancing at a war memorial. On 21/9 Roskomnadzor banned five LGBT websites. On 24/9 Pskov regional legislature expelled Lev Shlosberg, who had investigated the deaths of Russian troopers. In response to new media law restricting foreign ownership, on 8/9 Swiss publishing group Edipresse said it had sold its Russian assets; on 26/9 CTC Media announced it would sell a majority stake in the operator of its free TV channels to Alisher Usmanov and Ivan Tavrin.

Right of association 

On 4/9 the Justice Ministry designated Golos a foreign agent. On 13/9 Golos reported more than 1,700 suspected violations in local elections. Moscow courts fined Memorial Human Rights Centre 600,000 roubles (on 4/9) and Sakharov Centre 400,000 roubles (on 30/9) for not complying with the ‘foreign agent’ law. On 15/9 a Perm court upheld on appeal a fine against Perm-36 for failing to register as a ‘foreign agent’. On 18/9 a Moscow court remanded rights activist Andrei Mayakov, of the NGO Committee for Civil Rights, in custody on suspicion of fraud. On 23/9 Sakhalin Environment Watch said it would return donations from Leonard DiCaprio's foundation after being labelled a ‘foreign agent’.

Right of assembly 

On 20/9 thousands took part in a rally in Moscow called by Aleksei Navalny to protest against electoral fraud. On 11/9 Nikolai Kavkazsky, sentenced in the ‘Bolotnaya Square’ trials, was assaulted by unknown assailants. On 15/9 Sergei Udaltsov, in prison for allegedly organizing riots in Moscow in 2012, filed a second complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. On 17/9 the European Court of Human Rights ruled Russia violated the rights of three of the Bolotnaya Square protesters. On 27/9 police detained 10 anti-war protesters in Moscow and two in St. Petersburg.

Alleged espionage 

On 21/9 a Moscow court convicted former intelligence radio engineer Gennady Kravtsov of treason and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. On 26/9 Estonian security official Eston Kohver was exchanged for Aleksei Dressen.

Ukraine

On 8/9, the UN said at least 7,962 people had been killed in the Ukraine conflict. On 15/9 a Rostov court extended custody for Nadia Savchenko by six months. On 22/9 she denied all charges at the opening of her trial. On 25/9 ‘de facto’ authorities ordered UN agencies to leave Luhansk. On 29/9 a Kyiv court opened preliminary hearings into the case of A. Aleksandrov and E. Yerofeyev, alleged Russian soldiers detained in Ukraine's east.

Syria 

On 30/9 Syria's main opposition group said Russian air strikes killed 36 civilians, including five children, that day, a claim Russia denied.