Russia’s lower house of parliament approved a law that would allow the state to confiscate the property of anyone convicted of disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army, making public calls for extremism or against the security of the state, calling for sanctions against Russia or Russian citizens, and several other offenses. While vague and broad, the bill is widely understood to be aimed at discouraging and punishing anti-war activism. Although Russian law only allows for nonpunitive confiscation of property that was obtained as a result of the underlying crime, experts say its application is likely to be broader, as the burden of proof in such cases is very low and courts routinely fail to hold police to procedural requirements. The bill was drafted by Russian law enforcement bodies, supported by all but one political faction, has the backing of the Cabinet, and is expected to progress quickly through the remaining procedural steps to become law.

Sources: Meduza (1) , Meduza (2), Reuters 

Russia’s Supreme Court ruled on 12 December that electoral laws that bar media organizations from campaigning for or creating materials in support of political candidates also apply to private individuals. The ruling means that producing or disseminating any campaign materials, in person or online, that were not produced by the official campaign can be found illegal and those responsible can be fined up to 2500 RUB (about 30 USD) for each instance. The ruling was intended to ensure that bloggers and social media users would be adequately covered by the legislation in advance of 2024 elections. Speaking to trade publication Advokatskaya Gazeta said the ruling suggests Russia’s upcoming elections will be strictly controlled by the judiciary and other relevant authorities.

Sources: Kommersant, Advokatskaya Gazeta

The Russian Supreme Court ruled the “international LGBT movement” to be an ”extremist organization” on 30 November, meaning that participating or financing the organization is punishable with up to 12 years in prison. No such formal organization exists inside or outside Russia, and an attempt by Russian LGBTQIA+ activists to register a Russian non-profit under the name ”International LGBT Movement” in order to gain access to the closed hearing and disrupt the legal process was unsuccessful. Rights activists say the ruling will be used to criminalize any form of LGBTQIA+ activism or support in the country.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Meduza

Several hundred men stormed an airport in Makhachkala, Dagestan, on 29 October, intending to block the landing of a direct flight from Tel Aviv and prevent Jewish passengers from disembarking. The attacks followed days of false rumours on popular Telegram channels that Israelis were being evacuated to Dagestan. Local and regional authorities struggled to contain the violence, although eventually official reports stated over 200 had been arrested in connection with the violence. Human Rights Watch criticized the authorities’ response, which made no mention of antisemitism, as inadequate, and the overwhelming majority of the detained were only charged with minor administrative crimes with penalties of a few days in custody. Dagestan and its neighboring North Caucasian republics do not have a significant history of antisemitic violence or sentiment, and observers attributed the outbreak to broader unrest over poor socioeconomic conditions and frustration with local governance.

Sources: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Meduza (1), Meduza (2), Human Rights Watch

Russia’s federal agency charged with monitoring and censoring mass media, Roskomnadzor, blocked 885,000 websites for allegedly hosting information banned under Russian law, an 85 per cent increase over 2022. Websites have been targeted over “gay propaganda” laws, providing information about the war in Ukraine, and other justifications. On 19 September, Roskomnadzor also published proposed changes to the agency’s rules that would permit it to block any site providing access to or instructions on using a virtual private network (VPN) to circumvent its blocking.

Sources: Meduza, Novaya Gazeta Europe

Russia is set to open more treason cases in 2023 than over the past twenty years combined, the independent Russian media outlet Kholod reported on 7 August. Kholod’s calculations were based on media reports, which it says necessarily undercounts ongoing cases as not all are made public, and reports of historical cases compiled by the legal advocacy group Team 29 (which was closed under state pressure in 2021). The overwhelming majority of the 82 current cases are against individuals accused of conspiring to support Ukraine, with the rest suspected of working for China, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Each case carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Civil society organizations argue that suspects charged with espionage are at high risk of torture in custody. 

Sources: Kholod, Moscow Times 

The Russian oligarch and mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died along with nine others in a plane crash on 23 August that analysts say was in all likelihood an assassination either organised or authorised by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin had been outside of Russia since leading his Wagner Group mercenaries in a purported rebellious march towards Moscow in June 2023. Prighozhin had decamped to Belarus and Africa, apparently having reached an understanding with Putin, and the circumstances of his return to Russia were unclear. Prigozhin had attempted to build a reputation as a capable populist leader in the months leading up to his death, and had explicitly challenged and threatened high ranking military officials and leaders.   

Sources: BBC News, Wall Street Journal 

Russia outlawed both legal and surgical sex changes and gender-affirming care on 25 July. Transgender Russians will now also be banned from adopting children and marriages where at least one partner is transgender will be annulled. The law was sharply criticized by human rights advocates, and many trans Russians say they have no choice but to flee the country.

Sources: Moscow Times, openDemocracy

Several bills signed into law on 28 April raised the maximum sentence for treason to life in prison, and allowed for depriving naturalized citizens of their citizenship for “discrediting” the armed forces. A decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on 27 April legalized the deportation of residents of illegally occupied Ukrainian territory who decline to take up Russian citizenship. The laws and decree are interpreted as providing the Russian state with more tools to punish and discourage dissent.

Sources: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, OVD-News

A report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine published on 15 March found that the hundreds of illegal transfers of children from occupied Ukraine to Russia constituted a war crime. The report also included evidence of other war crimes, including torture, rape, attacks on healthcare facilities, and summary executions. The International Criminal Court had previously issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova on 24 February for the removal of children from Ukraine.

Sources: British Broadcasting Company

Alexei Moskalyov, a resident of the small provincial town of Yefremov south of Moscow, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for ‘discrediting the armed forces’ on 29 March for a social media post. Moskalyov’s case was the subject of significant domestic and international attention, as he allegedly first came to the attention of local authorities after his 13-year-old daughter Masha made anti-war drawings at school in April 2022. Masha was taken from her father’s custody and placed in an orphanage in December 2022, and later with her mother, from whom she had been estranged for ten years. Moskalyov escaped house arrest but was detained on 30 March in Belarus.

Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation Russian, Reuters

American journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg and charged with espionage on 29 March, the first time a foreign reporter has been accused of spying in the country since 1986. Domestic and international press freedom and human rights watchdogs argued the charges were groundless, and that Gershkovich had likely been detained for use in a future prisoner swap for Russian spies arrested abroad. Following the arrest, other media outlets began moving non-Russian journalists out of the country for safety concerns, further limiting the diversity and scope of journalism in the country.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, New York Times

A bill exempting lawmakers from public income declaration was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on 6 February. An anonymized summary of income declarations will still be available in some form. According to one of the law’s authors, the removal of income data from the public sphere was necessary as “not [all lawmakers] wanted to do it.” The move follows a wartime trend of censoring and removing public data on government and even business activities.

Sources: Meduza, Washington Post

The Novosibirsk regional assembly abolished direct elections for the mayor of Russia’s third largest city, Novosibirsk, on 20 February. Ending the direct election of mayors across Russia has been a priority for the Kremlin since several prominent anti-Putin mayors were elected following Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012. Only seven Russian cities still elect their mayors, among which only Moscow and St. Petersburg have over 1 million inhabitants.

Sources: Taiga.info, Interfax, Reuters