In connection with the more than two-and-a-half-year-long Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin defends the suppression of freedom of expression and media censorship as necessary. According to the Kremlin spokesman, however, freedom of speech must be restored after the end of the war.
“In the state of war we find ourselves in, such restrictions are justifiable, just as censorship is justifiable, let’s be honest,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov in an interview with the TASS agency.
The DPA agency points out that the statement of Putin’s spokesman is unusual, because the Kremlin often denies that there is censorship in Russia and accuses the West of restricting freedom of expression. The opposition, human rights defenders and independent media have faced severe pressure in Russia for years. The repression intensified in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Russian authorities are particularly harsh on authors of information about the failures and crimes of the Russian army.
Shortly after the start of the war, the Russian parliament passed a punishment law “discrediting the Russian armed forces” and it is criminal in Russia to use the word “war” in connection with the invasion of Ukraine. Russia officially describes the attack on the neighboring country as a “special military operation”. However, according to Moscow, it is a “war” in the case of the actions of Ukraine and the West.