Moscow is one step away of achieving total control over the internal information space, while at the same time trying to silence the leaders of the opposition in exile and their patrons. Feeling threatened by a possible internal uprising after the failed rebellion led by Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, and under fire from certain Russian officers in reserve, the Kremlin leader wants to shut up everyone by means of state blackmail, which is very likely to become national law.
The State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted a draft law in the first reading, which is aimed at combating attempts at “discrediting the army” and blocking “war-related fake news”. According to the chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, people who criticize the state will be punished by having their assets seized and being deprived of any titles bestowed by the authorities.
“The goal of the draft law is to protect servicemen and officers from backstabbing. It refers to everyone who attacks the state and its army. Those who were awarded medals, honorific titles or other distinctions for their merit must understand they will lose them. The state has given you everything, and now you will have nothing if you speak against servicemen”, Volodin says.
“Villains” – Russia’s new enemies
The Telegram channel of the State Duma announced that the draft law was voted by 395 MPs. The document points out “methods to combat villains have turned out to be ineffective” in the last two years. Both Vyacheslav Volodin as well as Russian MPs said that Russian “villains” abroad, as well as in Russia, will no longer have quiet days ahead. In this respect, the state will take action against those citizens who left Russia and who criticize Putin’s regime, or who “discredit the military”, according to the bill.
“They live comfortably, renting out real estate [in Russia], continuing to cash in payments at the expense of Russian citizens. These funds are used to support the Nazi regime. They allow themselves to publicly throw dirt at our country. While abroad, they feel themselves untouchable, believing justice cannot reach them. Once adopted, this initiative must stop those who commit crimes against the security of our state, who feel entitled to mock citizens, soldiers, officers and support the Nazis”, the State Duma Telegram channel reads.
Putin’s opponents in exile – prime targets of the new bill
Vyacheslav Volodin explained on January 20 who exactly the “villains” the Russian state wants to repress really are. According to the Russian State Duma chairman, Russia will confiscate funds or assets, including immovable goods, used by various groups to “fund actions targeted against the security of the Russian Federation”.
According to the draft law, the promotion of false information about the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, any instigations to extremist activities, discrediting the military, the distribution of messages with the goal of eroding the territorial integrity of Russia, will all be considered “war-related fake news”. In addition, the bill provides for harsh penalties for the rehabilitation of Nazism or the dissemination of Nazi public narratives. Collaboration with international organizations, including with a view to implementing global decisions, or with various world countries without the consent of the Russian Federation, will equally be considered a crime.
If a Russian citizen justifies the introduction of Western sanctions against Russia or makes verbal threats against the security of his state, he will be punished. “Every citizen who tries to destroy Russia, to betray it, must face fair punishment. The assets of these individuals will compensate the damage they inflicted on their country”, Volodin explained.
Russian dissidents in the West are one of the primary targets of this legislative initiative. If anti-Putin politicians declare their support for the Ukrainian army, they will be accused of promoting Nazi rhetoric, because Ukrainian Armed Forces on the territory of Russia are all considered Nazi. This will serve as sufficient motive to seize the assets of these politicians or funds from their Russian bank accounts.
Russia wants to tone down and even block any opposition to Putin from Russians in exile. Baltic States in particular have for many years been hosting the famous Free Russia Forum, where anti-Putin politicians from Russia, as well as the Belarussian opposition led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, criticize the Russian military and argue against building a democracy on the ruins of the dictatorship at the Kremlin once Russia is defeated in the war. One of the leaders of this forum is Russian dissident Gari Kasparov. The bill discussed in Moscow will consider such public manifestations as a basis for confiscating the assets of all participants.
“Foreign agents” risk becoming “Russia’s villains”
Another category targeted by the draft law are journalists. The adoption of the draft law will add to the already highly restrictive Russian legislation yet another series of anti-democratic regulations, allowing the state to take total control of the information space. For a few years now, Russian journalists, writers or bloggers who obtain foreign funding or who monetize their content have been labelled “foreign agents”. For instance, in July 2022, Russian journalist Yury Dud was declared “foreign agent” for receiving payments from YouTube. The Justice Ministry in Moscow said all revenues from advertising on this channel is considered American funding. The main reason why the authorities added Dud to their famous registry of “foreign agents” is that Dud cited two other media institutions, considered “media foreign agents” (The Insider and Meduza), without mentioning they are officially considered foreign agents on Russia’s territory.
The term “foreign agent” is reminiscent of the “enemy of the people” concept used in the Soviet period. Until now, “foreign agents” were supposed to declare themselves on social media, websites and in videos they published. In the introduction to the video recording or the text, media institutions were forced to mention that the information was produced by a “foreign agent”. This is how the Kremlin made sure society won’t trust the information published and would thus refuse to read or watch it. Besides, Russia declared Facebook and Instagram extremist platforms, which gave Russian politicians some peace of mind. Nevertheless, as Telegram channels continued to develop in Russia, a series of information published by independent Russian-language media in exile (especially in Lithuania or Poland) would reach Russian audiences.
Right now, most “foreign agents” risk becoming “villains”, and any criticism pointed against Putin or the army will be considered “war-related fake news”. Journalists, writers, teachers and experts who comment on the war and their families will be made a public example of, unless they keep repeating the Kremlin’s official narratives. Another option would be simply for them to keep their mouths shut…
Russian officers, threatened with sanctions
Aside from politicians in exile and journalists from Russia, another threat to Putin’s regime is represented by Russian officers. Some of these, who were decorated in the Boris Yeltsin administration or even in the 2000s, now criticize the Kremlin for the unprofessional organization of the “special military operation”. This makes for a different type of criticism – people who agree with the war against Ukraine, but who criticize Putin for not taking a firmer stance. Now in reserve, these officers largely agreed with the criticism brought against Putin by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin or by the former Defense Minister of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, Igor Girkin, recently sentenced to 4 years in prison for his virulent criticism.
One such example is the retired GRU colonel Vladimir Kvachikov, who criticized the army and accused Putin last year of inconsistency and indecision. Kvachikov’s case served as a precedent used to draft the bill recently voted by Russian MPs. Kvachikov received a fine for “discrediting the Russian army”.
The Russian State Duma wants to withdraw the medals, awards and distinctions awarded to officers or state officials who criticize Putin or question his professional abilities.
Retired officers were persecuted even before the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In February 2020, retired colonel Mikhail Shendakov was handed a fine for criticizing the Russian leadership on a YouTube channel. Russian authorities monitor commentaries of retired officers. After the failed Wagner rebellion, Putin’s regime decided to reduce to a minimum all risks coming from these people, who enjoy public respect for their military career.
Another tool in the hybrid war against the West
Despite the fact that the legislative initiative discussed in Russia is essentially undemocratic, it is presented to the public at home much in the vein of political communication in the West.
Whereas the international community sanctioned Russia for the war in Ukraine and seized Russian assets for the brutal violation of international law, Moscow on the other hand claims it will seize the assets of politicians, journalists and even officers when they pose a threat to Russian state security. Whereas the West refuses to buy gas and oil from Russia in order not to fund the war in Ukraine, Russia claims it will seize the assets of certain dissidents in order not to fund “Zelenskyy’s Nazi regime”. From this point of view, the draft law discussed in Moscow perfectly fits the logic of the hybrid war against the West. Its secondary goal is to induce fear, frustration, uncertainty and total obedience to the authorities in Russia, as well as to silence dissidents in exile and certain journalists, experts or teachers, who still have the courage to speak their mind.
