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● Domestic Politics
Putin’s reelection plan for March 2024 puts him on the horns of a dilemma: “re-shuffle personnel, making the ‘vertical’ [of power] more efficient and dynamic in order to face existential challenges, or to continue with the status quo, relying on a more familiar conservative approach run by well-known loyalists,” according to R. Politik’s Tatiana Stanovaya
Russian artist, musician, and author Aleksandra (Sasha) Skochilenko
was sentenced to seven years in prison November 16 for “knowingly spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces." She was also banned from using the internet for three years. Her offense? – replacing a handful of price tags in a Saint Petersburg supermarket with messages urging shoppers to see beyond the propaganda and stop the war in Ukraine. “Rule of law in Russia has become a sham, and barbaric responses like this to art and protest only underscore the government’s desperate need to influence public opinion. Instead of allowing for open discourse based on facts, authorities revert to spreading misinformation and shutting down all avenues of free expression, including the work of artists and writers like Sasha,” said Polina Sadovskaya, Advocacy and Eurasia Director at PEN America.
Putin signs law restricting media freedom during elections. Russian President Vladimir Putin approved amendments to the law on presidential elections that establish new restrictions on media coverage, according to the Russian state legal portal on Nov. 14.
Putin pardons convicted killer of famed Russian journalist. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin pardoned the convicted killer of famed Russian opposition journalist Anna Politkovskaya after his military service in Ukraine, Russian state-controlled media RBC reported on Nov. 14.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may have three body doubles, a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) Andriy Yusov announced on Ukrainian national television on Nov. 9.
Lawmakers on the State Duma’s “foreign interference” commission have asked Russia’s Prosecutor General to investigate Sergey Guriev and Sergey Aleksashenko for two suspected felonies: (1) advocating sanctions against Russia and (2) high treason. The request follows recent attention on social media (notably from libertarian politician Mikhail Svetov and activist Irina Kuklina) highlighting the two economists’ participation in a Stanford University working group that advocates Western sanctions against Russian entities and nationals in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The working group has been publishing its recommendations since April 2022 and has been featured in Russian news reports since at least April 2023.
32 RUSSIA Country Report December 2023 www.intellinews.com