British intelligence explains why Putin needs to "clean up" information space in Russia

The UK Ministry of Defense reported the information.

The intelligence service reminds that on February 14, Putin signed a law that allows for the confiscation of property for "spreading false information about the Russian armed forces." This is mainly aimed at silencing domestic critics of the war against Ukraine.

Prior to that, the State Duma's "Committee on Foreign Interference" introduced a bill intended to expand the scope of Russia's designation as an "undesirable" organization. This is likely aimed at further restricting the activities of Russian-language Western media outlets such as RFE/RL, Deutsche Well, and the Russian service of the BBC.

"These moves are part of a wider Russian government trend that attempts to restrict the domestic information environment to limit domestic criticism and dissent. While this trend has been in evidence for many years, it has substantially accelerated after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine," the statement said.

• In March 2023, Russia's State Duma passed a law on imprisonment for up to 15 years for "fakes" about the war and 7 years for so-called discrediting.
• On February 14, Putin signed a law that provides for the confiscation of property from those convicted under a number of articles, including for allegedly spreading fake information about the Russian army.