Since the war began, repressions in Russia are evolving in three essential directions: wartime censorship, including website blocking and shutting down media; criminal and administrative prosecution for "discrediting the Russian army"; and tightening the “foreign agents” law along with expanding the foreign agents list.
Such is the conclusion of OVD-Info, Sova, DOXA, and the Center for Defense of Media Rights in a joint report prepared for the UN Human Rights Committee.
Human rights activists believe that repressions have not only increased dramatically since the invasion of Ukraine, but have also become more focused.
Whereas in 2020-2021 various groups were targeted, including opposition politicians, activists, investigative journalists, Navalny supporters, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., today the entire repressive machinery is aimed at suppressing anti-war sentiment.
Since the start of the war, over 16,000 people have been detained for expressing anti-war views, over 2,000 administrative and over 150 criminal cases have been initiated.