Situation getting worse

New law: Putin now expropriates war critics

The majority of the Russian population lives in poor conditions. In the picture: A residential district in the capital Moscow, dotted with classic prefabricated buildings.(Bild: APA/AFP/Vera Savina)

It is no secret that Russia is cracking down on critical voices. Now the reprisals are reaching a new dimension: dissenters are to lose not only their freedom, but also their property.

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly tightened its laws to prevent criticism of the invasion. For example, the alleged dissemination of false reports about the Russian army is punishable by long prison sentences. The suppression of dissent culminated in the new law on the expropriation of opponents of the war, which was introduced into parliament at the beginning of the year and passed unanimously in the lower and upper houses of parliament, the State Duma, and the Federation Council. The head of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, described it as a "law against rags".

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has now approved the law on confiscating the property of opponents of the war and enemies of the state. The corresponding decree was published in the Russian law database on Wednesday and states that property acquired through the dissemination of alleged false information about the Russian army or calls to endanger Russia's national security will be confiscated.

Memories of the dark Stalin era
How it will be applied in practice is still unclear. "We believe that expressing any concerns a priori is unfounded," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in response to possible criticism.

Peskov denied that this was a new version of the Soviet law on confiscating the property of enemies of the people. Especially in the era of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, hundreds of thousands of Russians were declared enemies of the people, expropriated and locked up in camps - or killed.

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression on February 24, 2022, hundreds of thousands of Russians have left their homeland. Many celebrities criticize Putin and his war from abroad. Because they cannot be punished with imprisonment, there has long been a debate in Russia about how the judiciary can still prosecute these citizens.