Swearing, Russians can do it like no other. But anyone who wants to insult Russian President Putin must come from a good family to avoid a fine. Last weekend, the Belarusian hacking group ‘Cyberpartisans’ published a four-page list of swear words that are prohibited in combination with the name ‘Vladimir Putin’ or his likeness.
The hackers found the document, titled “Major Insults,” in a database run by internet watchdog Roskomnadzor, which is involved in devising and monitoring the increasingly outlandish censorship measures imposed on Russians. According to Media zoneone of the independent Russian news sites that published the hilarity list of Russian internet users in its entirety, the agency would have spent no less than a year compiling it.
‘Freak and Scum’
The swear words are neatly divided by genre. A rich anthology of “general swear words” numbers more than 600 swear words, followed by the sections “References to Pedophilia” and “References to Sexual Intercourse,” both with dozens of designations.
In addition, the list also contains entire sentences with which Russians verbally beat their president over the past year. “Putin, you freak, scum and whore, fuck off from power,” and “Putin is an asshole. His friends are cattle, and they all deserve a terrible punishment,” some Russians said about their president.
Using a special photo search function, Roskomnadzor also screens photos depicting Putin as Hitler and other “negative appearances.” In addition, the service appears to closely monitor messages and speculation about Putin’s health. Whether ‘perpetrators’ have been fined or even arrested is unknown. However, it became clear from other documents that Roskomadzor maintains intensive contact with the Russian investigative services.
Foul language
It is not the first time that the Russian government has attempted to curb the unbridled profanity of Russians. In 2013, Putin – himself known for his use of foul language – introduced fines for media use of swear words, followed a year later by a ban in the arts sector. In early 2021, the ban expanded to social media. The measures are motivated by an appeal to the protection of children.