One in four FSB arrest videos is staged and confessions are recorded in multiple takes after torture, Memorial finds

According to Memorial, the FSB releases hundreds of short clips annually showing arrests, searches, and confessions. In reality, the circumstances surrounding criminal cases often diverge significantly from what is depicted. These videos may be staged to display the FSB's effectiveness, deter opponents of the Putin regime, and project the investigators' perspective to the public.

Researchers believe that detainees are sometimes taken outside for filming, made to reenact their arrests, and forced to confess under duress. Human rights defenders have also scrutinized posts on state-owned media agencies' Telegram channels, finding a surge in FSB-related content since the start of the war in Ukraine. From 2021 to the first half of 2026, mentions of the FSB doubled, with video-heavy posts increasing from 23% to 40%.

The FSB's staging of arrests is exemplified by cases involving Romanians Adrian-David Kercho and Yury Kayev. Kercho was detained in Abkhazia and later subjected to brutal treatment and forced to confess to espionage. The FSB released a staged arrest video 10 days after filming, which became the official date. Kayev, who endured a month of torture following his arrest, was filmed in a staged scenario, walking along a street with his belongings and falling in a specific manner to avoid facial injuries.

Confessions obtained through torture are prevalent in the FSB's videos, with detainees often using formal language mirroring official statements and sometimes repeating their confessions multiple times.