The State Duma on May 14, 2026, appointed MP Yana Lantratova as the new Commissioner for Human Rights in the RF. She replaces Tatyana Moskalkova, who has reached the legally mandated limit for the position (two five-year terms). Lantratova’s candidacy, put forward by the “A Just Russia” faction, was supported by 301 deputies, four voted against, and two abstained. Immediately following the vote, the new ombudsman took the oath of office and officially assumed her duties.
Institutional Crisis: Resilience and Risk Analysis
The appointment of 37-year-old Lantratova marks the final dismantling of the classical human rights institution in Russia and its reshaping to fit the needs of totalitarian control. The political biography and initiatives of the new ombudsman demonstrate a radical departure from basic international principles of protecting human rights and freedoms:
- Ideological Background: Coming from the “Young Guard of United Russia” and serving as a former assistant to Vitaly Milonov, Lantratova built her career on a repressive agenda, including lobbying for the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses and censoring the information space.
- Freedom Suppression Initiatives: As a deputy, Lantratova openly called for strict constraints, proposing to ban foreign children’s books due to “alien values,” establish a special censorship department within the Ministry of Culture, and revive Soviet artistic councils (khudsovets) for ideological control over cinema, music, and the press.
- Militarization of Human Rights: Her active support for the aggressive war against Ukraine (including proposals to mark the day of the invasion in schools nationwide and participation in the forced removal of Ukrainian children from occupied territories) indicates that the ombudsman’s office will be directed not at protecting citizens from state arbitrariness, but at legitimizing it.
The Bottom Line: With the appointment of Yana Lantratova, the institution of the human rights commissioner in the RF has officially transformed into a decorative, repressive tool. The protection of citizens’ rights is being replaced by the promotion of censorship, isolationism, and state ideology, stripping Russians of the last legal domestic instrument to counter systemic violations of their freedoms.