Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia (FSIN)

Novaya Gazeta Europe reported on 12 July 2025 that FSIN's directorate for Vladimir Oblast had said on its website in early July that a "Digital Colony" system had started working at correctional colony IK-6 in Melekhovo, where Alexei Navalny was held from June 2022 to December 2023, that the region was the first in Russia to have it, and that FSIN deputy director Sergei Shcherbakov had personally tested it during a visit. Novaya Gazeta Europe describes the system as being tested, and 1.ru (4 July 2025, citing Zebra TV) reported that trials had begun and that the experiment was under way. According to FSIN, the system records voices and facial images, creates biometric records with automatically generated digital profiles, uses contactless biometric identification and tracks movement around the colony to flag suspicious activity. Novaya Gazeta Europe adds that a 2021 FSIN technical specification, reported by Kommersant, sought automatic detection of violations such as smoking in unauthorised places and breaches of dress rules. No developer is named, and FSIN's account has not been independently verified. Current Time reported on 14 October 2026 that the "Digital IK" had been launched at IK-6 in July 2025, and on 15 October 2026 that the authorities were trying to turn the Melekhovo colony into a "digital" one.