The Kremlin has imposed further restrictions on the information space in wartime Russia, making it challenging to openly discuss political issues, according to a report on the situation in Russia’s war on Ukraine by the UK Defense Intelligence on October 29th.
In mid-October 2023, Russia’s Education and Science Ministry reportedly issued instructions to universities to avoid open discussions about any negative political, economic, and social trends in Russia during academic activities.
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In the longer term, this will likely contribute to the trend of Russian policy-making happening within an echo-chamber of politically acceptable, pro-Kremlin perspectives, states the report from UK Defense Intelligence.
The report further explains that it is highly probable that the Kremlin aims to suppress negative perspectives on the “special military operation” leading up to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s anticipated bid for re-election in March 2024.
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“Special military operation” is a propaganda euphemism used in Russia to refer to Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine since February 2022. It is illegal in Russia to term the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion and war against Ukraine as “a war.”
After his last election as president in 2018, Putin announced that he would not run for president in 2024. However, in June 2022, the Kremlin conducted a referendum on constitutional amendments, with 78.56% of voters supporting granting Putin the right to two more six-year terms as president.
Furthermore, Putin signed a bill on December 22, 2020, granting former Russian presidents lifelong immunity from prosecution.
Previous Russian elections have often been criticized by international observers for not being free or fair.
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