UK intelligence reports on censorship in Russian universities

UK Defence Intelligence has found further evidence of increasing military censorship in Russia.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence review on Twitter dated 29 October, as reported by European Pravda

Details: UK intelligence reports that the Russian Ministry of Education reportedly instructed universities in mid-October to avoid openly discussing any "negative political, economic and social trends" in Russia during academic activities.

"This constitutes a further restriction of the information space in wartime Russia, making it more difficult to openly discuss policy issues," the review reads.

UK intelligence believes that this step will lead to further development of the Russian policy in an echo-chamber of "politically acceptable, pro-Kremlin perspectives" (a metaphor that is identical to an information bubble with a message amplification effect – ed.).

"It is highly likely that the Kremlin wishes to further suppress negative perspectives on the ‘special military operation’ [as the Russian propaganda calls the war against Ukraine – ed.] in the run up to President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated bid for re-election in March 2024," the review stated.

Background: At the beginning of the year, the UK MoD commented on the intentions of the Russian Education Ministry to introduce military-related subjects in schools and higher education institutions, which is indicative of an increasingly militarised atmosphere in the country.

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