Russia - September 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on 3 October that allows criminal defendants to avoid prosecution if they are either called up for mandatory military service or if they voluntarily sign a contract to serve in the armed forces. Reports of ad hoc arrangements being made between defendants and prosecutors have circulated before, but the practice was not previously systematized or legally sanctioned. Rights activists and lawyers have warned the harsh pre-trial detainment process, as well as exaggerated charges, are being leveraged to pressure defendants into enlisting, as well as providing violent offenders facing lengthy sentences a faster route to return to society.

Sources: iStories, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Verstka Media 

Apple removed 50 virtual private network (VPN) apps from its App Store from July to September 2024, reportedly double the number it was asked to remove by Russia’s internet censor Roskomnadzor. This brings the total number of VPNs no longer accessible inside Russia on Apple devices to 98, making it the most restrictive App Store outside China. The removals are part of a long-term effort by Roskomnadzor to control the online information environment and prevent access to material critical of or unfavourable to the government. 

Sources: El Pais, Moscow Times, Roskomsvoboda

An analysis of changes in Russia’s primary and secondary school curricula found that the number of classroom hours dedicated to propaganda grew from less than 500 in 2022 to over 1,300 in 2024. The investigative media outlet Agentstvo’s mapping of Russian school curriculum found that 12 per cent of classroom instruction hours are now to be dedicated to military training, lessons on the invasion of Ukraine, the “preservation of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values” and the importance of large families. The changes are the latest and most significant in the efforts to reshape the Russian education system to break both institutional and intellectual ties with the West and instead focus on nationalist narratives. 

Sources: Agenstvo Media, BBC Russian, Washington Post