The Kremlin launched repressions against its own supporters: the system got out of control

The Russian punitive system, which for years has crushed the opposition and anti-war activists, has now turned on its own supporters. Even those who supported the Putin regime and justified the war against Ukraine have found themselves the focus of repression.

This is reported by The Guardian, describing a number of recent high-profile cases.

As the publication notes, previously the label of “foreign agent” in Russia was automatically given to independent journalists, human rights activists or politicians who criticized the Kremlin. Now this status is also given to propagandists. Thus, the register of “agents” included pro-Kremlin political scientist Sergei Markov and the famous Z-blogger Roman Alyokhin — public figures once loyal to the authorities.

Even more revealing was the declaration of the traitor to Ukraine, Tetyana Montyan, who actively supported Russian aggression after 2014, as an “extremist and terrorist.” Her name appeared on the official list, which previously only included oppositionists from Alexei Navalny’s entourage.

Analysts see these cases as a symptom of a new trend: the Russian state has begun a “cleansing” of not only critics but also overly independent supporters of the regime. Political scientist Kateryna Shulman explains that there is a hidden struggle going on in the country between official propagandists close to the Ministry of Defense and uncontrolled “Z-bloggers” — radical supporters of the war.

“At first they destroyed those who were against the war. Now they are destroying those who support it but have their own opinions. The repressive machine does not know how to stop,” says Shulman.

Z-bloggers, who for years demanded “to fight harder,” are now themselves facing repression. They were outraged by the army’s failures, publicly criticized the generals, and often created conflicts within the propaganda field. The Kremlin views even such “controlled loyalty” as a threat, because any self-organization in a totalitarian system is dangerous.

Russian oppositionists who have gone abroad are watching with bitter irony how those who justified the repression of “liberals” are now falling into their clutches themselves. Shulman is convinced that this trend will only intensify.

“There is no longer an opposition in Russia, so the repressive apparatus is looking for new victims. This system only lives when it punishes,” the expert concludes.

By the way, a large-scale wave of detentions of citizens linked to the activities of the Belarusian Gayun channel has unfolded in Belarus.

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