--- last_updated: 2026-06-04 total_actions: 0 active_campaigns: 0 active_petitions: 0 archived_campaigns: 0 archived_petitions: 0 languages: ru, en --- # Woodpecker (Dyatel) - Full Content > Dyatel (Woodpecker) by OVD-Info: Russia's platform for collective petitions defending political prisoners and civil liberties. Join thousands taking action. Website: https://dyatel.org/ --- ## About the Platform URL: https://dyatel.org/en/faq **Woodpecker — a platform for those who want to act** **Woodpecker** is a service for mass submission of individual complaints and appeals to government and public institutions. In difficult situations, it unites concerned people and helps achieve responses from authorities. #### **What does Woodpecker do?** * **Simplifies the process of submitting appeals** — it sends electronic complaints to the necessary institutions itself, you only need to sign them. * **Monitors responses** — helps control compliance with the Federal Law ["On the procedure for considering appeals of citizens of the Russian Federation"](https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_59999/) and achieve official responses within the established time limits. * **Helps influence the situation** — mass appeals make the problem noticeable and force responsible persons to react. #### **Who is Woodpecker for?** * **For those who need support** — if you want to achieve justice and be heard. * **For those who care** — if you are ready to achieve changes together. **Who makes Woodpecker?** This platform is created and maintained by [OVD-Info](https://media.ovdinfo.com/3ke9cum2) — an independent human rights media project. Its goal is to achieve a complete cessation of politically motivated persecutions in Russia. More details – [https://ovd.info/](https://ovd.info/). **Together — louder.** **Woodpecker helps every voice be heard.** --- ## How to Participate 1. Visit a campaign page 2. Fill out the form with your details (name, email, address) 3. Submit and check your email for a confirmation link 4. Click the link to verify - your appeal will be sent **Important:** Some email domains (.com, .net, .rs, .ua) may not be accepted due to delivery restrictions. Consider using Proton Mail (proton.me) for reliable delivery. --- ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is it safe to send appeals? We believe it is. Our lawyers carefully think through the content of appeals so that the authorities have no grounds to exert pressure on those who sign them. Any citizen has the right to appeal to government agencies. An appeal can be oral, written or electronic, in the form of a proposal, statement or complaint. It can contain different requirements — for example, to conduct an inspection. Article 33 of the Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to apply personally, as well as to send individual and collective appeals to government agencies and local self-government bodies. This right is also guaranteed by the Federal Law ["On the procedure for considering appeals of citizens of the Russian Federation"](https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_59999/). Article 6 of this law guarantees the safety of a citizen in connection with his appeal — it is impossible to persecute a person, even if the appeal contains criticism of the authorities. The very fact of your filing an appeal is public information, but its content and your personal data cannot be disclosed. Several cases of persecution for slander in an appeal are known, but slander is knowingly false information. If the appeal asks to conduct an inspection or perform some actions (as in our appeals), there is no slander here. Persecution for the text of an appeal can only occur if a person had intent to cause real harm, not to protect rights. The requirement to conduct an inspection does not apply here. ### What is the point of them? At OVD-Info, we believe that violations of human rights must be fought with all available legal methods. Sending complaints and appeals is one such mechanism, and it works. Even if the agency limits itself to a formal response, it will still have to record the problem, launch internal processes and pay attention to it. And if the complaint is properly formatted, it will have to respond. Even a "response" is not just text: there are approvals, interdepartmental correspondence and clarification of the essence behind it. This requires resources and complicates the work of officials. Mass appeals make the problem visible. They show that what is happening is being watched, and that violations will not go unnoticed. The more signatures, the harder it is to hush up the problem. The pressure increases, and sometimes it is this pressure that forces officials to resolve the issue to avoid repeated complaints. Violating human rights becomes more difficult. Collective action helps not only the cause, but also the people nearby. When there are many of us, each voice sounds louder. Your voice will help others feel that they are not alone. ### Will my appeal be considered? Yes. According to Article 9 of the Federal Law ["On the procedure for considering appeals of citizens of the Russian Federation"](https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_59999/), an appeal is subject to mandatory consideration — provided that it meets the established requirements (we monitor this). According to the law, a written appeal received by the agency must be considered within 30 days from the date of its registration. In exceptional cases, if additional information is required, the deadline may be extended by another 30 days. ### I don't have Russian mail, what should I do? Some recipients of appeals have stopped accepting letters from mail domains **.com**, **.net**, **.rs**, **.ua**. For now, letters from other foreign addresses pass, but this requires checking in each case — you can try. If you don't have suitable mail yet, you can create a free mailbox on the [**Proton Mail**](https://proton.me/) service — it's safe, and appeals from there are currently accepted. ### My e-mail is not suitable, what should I do? Some recipients of appeals have stopped accepting letters from mail domains **.com**, **.net**, **.rs**, **.ua**. For now, letters from other foreign addresses pass, but this requires checking in each case — you can try. If you don't have suitable mail yet, you can create a free mailbox on the [**Proton Mail**](https://proton.me/) service — it's safe, and appeals from there are currently accepted. ### I didn't receive a confirmation link from the prosecutor's office, what should I do? A link for confirmation from the prosecutor's office website will be sent to the mail you specified, you must follow it. Without this, the appeal will not be accepted! The letter usually arrives within 24 hours, but sometimes, when there are especially many appeals, it arrives later. If the confirmation still hasn't arrived within several days, you can try sending the appeal again. If your mail does not end with **.ru**, it is possible that the recipients have stopped accepting letters from your domain as well. In this case, it's better to use a different address. If you don't have suitable mail yet, you can create a free mailbox on the [**Proton Mail**](https://proton.me/) service — it's safe, and appeals from there are currently accepted. ### What if I don't have Russian citizenship? Even if you don't have Russian citizenship, you can still send an appeal through "Woodpecker". Article 1 of the Federal Law ["On the procedure for considering appeals of citizens of the Russian Federation"](https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_59999/) states that the law regulates the submission of appeals by citizens of the Russian Federation. But this does not mean that citizens of other countries do not have the right to appeal — there is no such prohibition in the current legislation. Moreover, when submitting an appeal, no one checks your citizenship. ### What to do if I receive a response? Send it to us at [campaign@ovdinfo.org](mailto:campaign@ovdinfo.org). ### What to do if I want to organize a campaign? Write to us in the [bot](https://t.me/ovdinfobot). We carefully study all appeals and, if we can help, we will definitely respond. ### I want to participate in other campaigns, how can I follow you? Leave your e-mail to receive campaign news and learn about new OVD-Info initiatives. ### How else can I support those persecuted for political reasons? "Woodpecker" is not the only way to support those who face state pressure. We unite people who need help and those who are ready to act. So that no one is left alone with the system. ["Vestochka"](https://media.ovdinfo.com/4vtxma6c) — here you can write a letter to a person who is being persecuted by the state for political reasons. You can choose a specific addressee yourself — by name, interests or profession. And if you don't know who to write to — entrust the choice to "Vestochka" and write to someone who especially lacks support right now. ["Zaodno"](https://media.ovdinfo.com/y86yzzbd) — a platform through which you can transfer money from card to card directly to the defendants. "Zaodno" has collected stories of specific people who have faced pressure from the state and are currently counting on your support. More than 5,000 volunteers from 67 countries of the world help us, you can also join! To do this, go to the [volunteer bot](https://media.ovdinfo.com/6nuptkx8) and fill out the questionnaire. Our Telegram bot ["Drozd"](https://t.me/kogda_sud_bot) will tell you about other ways to help. ### Who makes "Woodpecker"? This platform was created and maintained by [https://media.ovdinfo.com/3ke9cum2](OVD-Info) — an independent human rights media project. Its goal is to achieve a complete cessation of politically motivated persecutions in Russia. ### How can I support you? You can [support OVD-Info](https://media.ovdinfo.com/y2e5tjtk) — the human rights project that created and maintains this platform. Together we can help many projects and initiatives launch their own appeal campaigns and petitions to change lives for the better. ### Is it safe to send appeals? We believe it is. Our lawyers carefully revise the appeals' content so that the authorities have no ground to put pressure on signees. A citizen has the right to apply to government agencies. The appeal may be oral, written or electronic, in the form of a proposal, statement or complaint. It may contain different requirements, for example, to conduct an inspection. Article 33 of the Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to apply personally, as well as to send individual and collective appeals to government and municipal agencies. This right is also guaranteed by the Federal Law "On the Procedure for Consideration of Appeals by Citizens of the Russian Federation".Article 6 of the above law guarantees the safety of a citizen in connection with their appeal — it is forbidden to persecute the author even if their appeal contains criticism of the authorities. The fact that you have submitted an appeal is public information, but its content and your personal data may not be disclosed. There have been several known cases of defamation based on the appeals' content, but to be qualified as defamation the information has to be deliberately false. If an appeal contains a request for verification or for any action to be performed (as is the case with our appeals), it cannot be qualified as defamation.The text of an appeal may only lead to prosecution if the signee intends to cause actual harm, rather than protect their rights. This hypothesis does not apply to a requirement to conduct an inspection. ### What's the point? We at OVD-Info believe that it is necessary to combat human rights' violations using all available legal methods. Sending complaints and appeals is one such mechanism, and it does work.Even if the concerned agency only provides a pro forma response, it will still have to admit the perceived issue and address it through internal processes. And if the complaint is filed correctly, the response has to be provided. Even the pro forma response is more than just a text: behind it there are approvals, interdepartmental correspondence and a certain effort to clarify the essence of the issue raised. This requires considerable resource and thus complicates the work of government officials. Mass appeals make the issue visible. They show that what is happening is being monitored, and that violations will not go unnoticed. The more signatures there are, the harder it is to silence the issue. Pressure is growing, and sometimes this is what forces officials to resolve the issue in order to avoid repeated complaints. Violating human rights is becoming more difficult.Collective action helps not just the cause, but also the members of the collective. When there are many of us, everyone's voice sounds louder. Your voice will help others feel that they are not alone. ### Will my appeal be considered? Yes. According to Article 9 of the Federal Law "On the Procedure for Consideration of Appeals by Citizens of the Russian Federation", an appeal is subject to mandatory consideration, provided that it meets the established criteria (we assure these are met).Under the law, a written appeal received by an agency is to be considered within 30 days from the date of its registration. In exceptional cases requiring additional information the deadline may be extended for another 30 days. ### I don't have a Russian email address, what should I do? Some recipients of the appeals stopped accepting emails from the .com, .net, .rs, and .ua domains. At the moment, emails from other non-Russian addresses are accepted so you may try using any of those on a case-by-case basis.If you don't have a conforming email address yet, a free mailbox may be created using the Proton Mail service — it's secure, and the appeals originated there are currently being accepted. ### I haven't received a confirmation link from the prosecutor's office, what should I do? A confirmation link from the prosecutor's office's website will be sent to the email address you specified. It is mandatory that you use it. Without this, the appeal will not be accepted!An email containing the link is usually being sent within 24 hours - sometimes later during the peak periods. If the confirmation link has not been received within a few days, you should try re-sending your appeal.If your mailbox is not on any of .ru domains, it is possible that a recipient no longer accepts emails from those. In this case, consider using a different email address. If you don't have a conforming email address yet, a free mailbox may be created using the Proton Mail service — it's secure, and the appeals originated there are currently being accepted. ### What if I am not a Russian citizen? Even if you are not a Russian citizen, you may still submit an appeal through our "Dyatel" tool. Article 1 of the Federal Law "On the Procedure for Considering Appeals by Citizens of the Russian Federation" does state that the law regulates the submission of appeals by Russian citizens only. However, this does not mean that citizens of other countries are prohibited from submitting appeals—there is no such ban under the current legislation. Moreover, when submitting an appeal, your citizenship status is not subject to verification. ### What should I do if I get a response? Please forward it to us at campaign@ovdinfo.org ### What should I do if I want to organise a new campaign? Write to us via the bot. We carefully review all requests and provide feedback, especially when we can be of help. ### I want to participate in other campaigns, how can I follow you? Leave your email address to receive campaign news and learn about new initiatives by OVD-Info. ### How else can I support those who are being politically persecuted? "Dyatel" is not the only way to support those who face state pressure. We bring together people who need help and those who are ready to provide it and take action so that no one is left alone against the system."Vestochka" is a tool to be used if you want to write a message to someone who is being politically persecuted by the state. You may choose a specific recipient yourself by name, shared interests, or field of work, or, if you're not sure whom to write to, you may leave the choice to "Vestochka" and write to a random person in immediate need of your support."Zaodno" is a platform that allows direct money transfers to defendants in criminal cases under our care. "Zaodno" features the stories of specific individuals who have faced state pressure and are currently in need of your support.More than 5,000 volunteers from 67 countries around the world work with us—and so can you! Follow the link to the volunteer bot to fill out the application form.To learn about additional ways to help consult our Telegram bot "Drozd". ### Who is behind "Dyatel"? This platform was created and is being maintained by OVD-Info, an independent human rights media project. Its goal is to achieve the end of all politically motivated persecution in Russia. ### How can I support you? You can support OVD-Info, the human rights project at the origin of this platform. Together, we can help many other projects and initiatives launch their own appeal and petition campaigns to bring about positive change. ## Contact - Email: campaign@ovdinfo.org - Organization: OVD-Info (https://ovd.info/)