The law on fakes has been tightened: repression, sanctions, fear of telling the truth

In March, parliament approved amendments to the already existing law on “discrediting the army and disinformation”: now for “incorrect” information about the actions of the armed forces you can get up to 10 years in prison - not just a fine, as before. This change led to a wave of persecution: several well-known Telegram channels were recognized as “extremist”, and their administrators were detained. Independent journalists who had previously covered the humanitarian consequences of the war began to receive warnings, and some of them emigrated. In social networks and chats, cases of blocking of unbiased groups dedicated to the war and its consequences have become more frequent. Citizens began to massively delete forums and channels critical of the authorities from their browsing history, fearing that they would be “hooked”: a like or repost was enough to arouse suspicion. March 2023 was the month when the legislative framework finally changed: freedom of speech, criticism of the authorities, public discussion about the war - all this began to be perceived not as a civil position, but as a threat. For many Russians - especially the older generation - this was a turning point: telling the truth became dangerous, and silence became an almost obligatory form of self-defense.