Putin has instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to step up efforts to identify crimes committed by Russians online

In his message marking Internal Affairs Workers’ Day, Vladimir Putin, the head of the Kremlin regime, called on the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs to strengthen control over cyberspace and the detection of “crimes” online. According to him, expanding the powers and analytical capabilities of law enforcement agencies should ensure a more effective fight against crime and the “protection of the state’s sovereignty.”

Human rights organizations note a continued, systematic intensification of censorship and repression against the country’s own population. According to the “OVD-Info” project, since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian security forces have opened 2,388 criminal cases under the “extremism” charge and 1,403 “anti-war” cases, including for online posts regarding the actions of the Russian army. In addition, the authorities are preparing further legislative changes under which online statements and comments could be reclassified as serious crimes punishable by up to six years in prison.

Source: The Moscow Times / Data from the human rights project “OVD-Info.”

In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the occupiers are urging schoolchildren to report those who are disloyal to the occupying authorities. Special boxes have already been installed in a number of schools.

The provider Cloudflare has designated the max.ru domain as a “spy domain,” raising new concerns about the security of the “national messenger” MAX. Experts had previously also warned about the possible collection of user data and its transfer to Russian authorities.