Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has expanded the list of information covered by the Russian law on state secrets.
As Bloomberg writes, in this way he is strengthening his control over society against the backdrop of the continuation of the war against Ukraine.
Putin expands list of information classified as “secret”
According to a decree published on the Russian government website, information on foreign policy, international trade, economics, scientific research and preparations for possible mobilization can now be classified if its disclosure, in the Kremlin’s opinion, could threaten national security.
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Anyone who gains access to such materials without authorization could be sentenced to eight years in prison.
“This means the destruction of the expertise of the Russian economy, based on facts and statistics, and will lead to new repressions,” says Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russian intelligence services.
He believes that the classification of information about the mobilization was most likely a reaction to the attacks by Ukrainian drones.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has stopped publishing many statistics, including key budget data and official oil production figures. Information on Russian military casualties is also classified.
