Russia Is Introducing Comprehensive Monitoring Of Citizens' Travel
- 15.08.2026, 18:08
Travel data will be available to the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Monitoring of Russians’ travel on all forms of long-distance transportation—both within Russia and abroad—will be stepped up. According to "Verstka", this is evidenced by a draft order from the Russian Ministry of Transport.
Since 2024, Russia has been maintaining automated, centralized databases of personal data on passengers and vehicle crews. Carriers and companies submit information about ticket reservations to these databases.
Currently, carriers are required to submit data on ticket purchases, refunds, rebookings, passenger boarding and disembarkation, as well as the departure or cancellation of a trip, as well as a number of other operations within 15 minutes after recording this information in their systems—in the case of air or rail travel—and within 30 minutes for road, sea, or inland waterway transport.
Planned and actual data will need to be reported
However, the current regulations only cover scheduled departures or passenger boarding. The new draft order, which is intended to replace the current document from 2024, specifically states that both planned and actual data must be submitted, covering both scheduled and charter flights.
Additionally, for flights, carriers will be required to submit data on connections and baggage details. In addition, every trip on all modes of transportation will have its own unique code.
This involves personal information
As is currently the case, passengers’ personal phone numbers and email addresses, usernames, and hashed passwords for their personal accounts, IP addresses and port numbers from which information was transmitted during ticket purchase, as well as details about bank cards and accounts used for the purchase (for example, the last four digits of the card or account number).
According to Meduza, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, among others, have access to these databases.
According to experts interviewed by “Verstka,” law enforcement agencies will use the updated order for operational and investigative activities, as well as within the framework of the FSB’s counterterrorism measures, particularly when requesting the search for specific individuals. Obtaining information about citizens’ movements will become more convenient and less costly.