Journalist Liliya Yapparova from "Meduza" wrote an article for the "New York Times" titled "Putin is doing something that hardly anyone notices."

Axar.az presents the article:

"In November 2022, my editors asked me to be more careful about my food and to stop ordering meals. At first, I didn't pay much attention. However, just a month later, when I learned that my colleague Yelena Kostyuchenko had been poisoned in Germany as a result of a possible assassination attempt by the Russian state, I quickly understood the importance of their advice.

Such stories have become commonplace. Last year, investigative journalist Alesya Marokhovskaya was persecuted in the Czech Republic, and in February, the body of Maxim Kuzminov, who had fled Russia, was found riddled with bullets in Spain. In both cases, Kremlin involvement was suspected. Russian opposition figures know well that even in exile, they remain targets of Russian intelligence.

But they are not the only ones in danger. Hundreds of thousands of Russians, who are accused of having no connection to Putin's actions and of failing to support the events adequately, have been forced to leave their homeland. These low-profile dissidents are also subject to surveillance and abduction. Yet their persecution occurs silently—beyond public attention and often with the tacit consent of the countries they fled to. This is terrifying: the Kremlin hunts ordinary people worldwide, and seemingly, no one cares.

A vocal teacher, who went mad in a local prison in Kazakhstan, was arrested at Moscow's request. An elderly caregiver in Montenegro was detained by Interpol under Russian orders. A schoolteacher who spoke to her students about Bucha was arrested by Armenian border guards. A toy store owner, climber, punk rocker—these are just some of the people connected to the Kremlin's network worldwide.

And this is truly a global operation. Kremlin opponent Kseniya Maksimova told me that immigrants in Britain are monitored, and opposition events in London are filled with agents.

According to lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov, who specializes in treason and espionage, Russian intelligence agents have been sent to monitor diasporas in Germany, Poland, and Lithuania. Other exiles face surveillance and threats in Rome, Paris, Prague, and Istanbul. The list could go on."