FSB acknowledges in court that it searches foreign travellers’ phones at Moscow airports

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has acknowledged in court that it searches foreign travellers’ phones at Moscow airports, according to the independent outlet Ostorozhno, Novosti, which reviewed nine court rulings in lawsuits brought by citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In court, FSB representatives said all of the plaintiffs had been pulled aside for questioning and a phone search. The agency claims the travellers handed over their devices voluntarily.

One ruling says officers found signs that the plaintiff had deleted messages on WhatsApp and Telegram. In another case, the FSB pointed, among other things, to the fact that the traveller used a non-smartphone to communicate.

Officers also went through plaintiffs’ YouTube histories and their subscriptions to channels run by preachers banned in Russia. On that basis, the agency labelled the plaintiffs “followers of radical Islamist ideology”.

The screenings reportedly began at Moscow airports in the spring of 2024, after the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue. Russian citizens returning home have also reported being interrogated at the border.