MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) – The Russian Parliament wants to have returnees from abroad more closely monitored for criticism of the war or other actions that are considered unpatriotic. According to the Interfax news agency, the State Duma passed the corresponding protocol order to the public prosecutor’s office on Thursday. Many returnees “allowed themselves to make public statements abroad to discredit Russia, the country’s leadership and the Russian armed forces in connection with the special military operation,” the letter says.
Moscow officially describes its war of aggression against Ukraine only as a special military operation. After the war began, hundreds of thousands of Russians fled the country – some out of fear of being drafted into the armed forces, others because of increasing repression against dissidents.
Following the attack by the militant Hamas against Israel last week, a number of Russian citizens have returned to their homeland. According to media reports, the most prominent of these is billionaire Mikhail Fridman. Leading politicians in Moscow have warned several times in recent days that war critics are not welcome in Russia. Duma head Vyacheslav Volodin declared that anyone who was in favor of Ukraine’s victory would be “guaranteed Magadan” – a reference to the fact that there were many prison camps in the area, especially during the time of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
The Duma’s letter explicitly mentions artists, business people, and also relatives of officials who may have been guilty of unpatriotic behavior. Since these people have practically not been prosecuted so far, the Duma wants to request information from the public prosecutor’s office about fines and criminal proceedings initiated for discrediting the armed forces and financing the Ukrainian military. In addition, the authority should look for further critics among the returnees./bal/DP/men