that this makes Diffusions a convenient alternative to Red Notices that are subject to less stringent checks, even though their impact can be just as devastating. This challenge is illustrated by the case of Nikita Kulachenkov, who became subject to a Diffusion, even after writing to INTERPOL to alert the organisation to the risk that Russia might issue an INTERPOL alert against him. Nikita Kulachenkov Nikita is a Russian forensic accountant who was associated with the political activist Alexei Navalny in the conduct of anti-corruption work when he was charged with the theft of a street-art drawing valued at US$1.55. Knowing he would not get a fair trial in Russia, Nikita fled to Lithuania where he was granted asylum in December 2015. Despite Nikita alerting INTERPOL in October 2014 to the possibility that Russia would seek to circulate an INTERPOL alert in his name, Russia was still able to circulate a Diffusion relating to Nikita through INTERPOL in August 2015 and, as a result, he was arrested in Cyprus in January 2016. Instead of enjoying the planned holiday with his mother, Nikita spent three weeks in detention until the Lithuanian authorities were able to convince Cyprus not to extradite Nikita to Russia and instead to release him and allow him to return to Lithuania where he had refugee status. Had Russia attempted to use a Red Notice to seek Nikita’s arrest rather than a Diffusion, there is a greater chance that INTERPOL would have identified the request as abusive before the information was disseminated through INTERPOL’s channels. Nikita was eventually able to convince INTERPOL to delete the Diffusion, in line with its then newly-adopted policy on refugees,51 in March 2016. “And for the rest of my life I don’t have the guarantee, not INTERPOL, not Russia will ever assure me I will not face the same situation ” Nikita Kulachenkov 32 51 The Refugee Policy is explained in further detail in paras. 116-129