Russia is looking for new ways to suppress criticism of the war – UK Defence Intelligence

In Russia, new measures are being put forward to deter those who openly criticise Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, including a proposal to seize their property.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence review dated 24 January on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Russian Federation's State Duma recently introduced draft amendments to the Criminal Code regarding the confiscation of property for "fakes" and "discrediting" the Russian Army.

The UK intelligence reports that on 22 January, the Russian State Duma debated a bill to seize financial assets, including property, from Russians who openly criticise the Russian army and the "special military operation" (the way Russians call the war in Ukraine). 

Quote: "A number of prominent Russian writers and a musician have been sentenced in recent months for their criticism of the war."

The analysts recalled the 2022 amendments to the Russian law "On Foreign Agents," which has long been used to repress opponents of the Kremlin regime.

According to the Russian human rights monitoring agency OVD-info, in 2023, 217 individuals and organisations have been designated as "foreign agents". The Russian Ministry of Justice reported a total of 707 "foreign agents" as of 3 November 2023.

According to intelligence, the new legislation is most likely intended to restrain and silence anti-war opposition.

"This recent bill in conjunction with Foreign Agents measures, likely intends to restrict criticism of the war altogether," the review emphasises.

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