Overview

• Grigori Melkonjanz, Golos’s co-chair, was convicted in May of collaborating with the banned European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) and sentenced to five years in a penal colony.
• A Russian court ruling equated Golos with the prohibited ENEMO network, exposing all its members and clients to potential prosecution under the country’s undesirable-organization law.
• On July 8, Golos officially closed its central and regional offices and suspended all election monitoring activities nationwide.
• For 25 years, the group served as Russia’s primary nonpartisan watchdog, publishing detailed reports and mapping voting irregularities, including during the 2024 presidential election.
• Rights groups say the shutdown removes a critical check on ballot integrity and signals an intensifying legal suppression of civic oversight in Russia.