"One goal is to frighten." Why is Putin fighting traitors, spies and saboteurs

What's happened

On Tuesday, the State Duma adopted in the second reading a bill on punishment for “sabotage activity” - up to life imprisonment. On the eve of Vladimir Putin, congratulating employees of state security organs, called on them to "quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs."

The fight against "sabotage activities"

When the law that has passed the second reading will be finally adopted and signed by the President, three new articles will appear in the Criminal Code: “Assistance of sabotage activity”, “Passing training in order to carry out sabotage activities” and “Organization of the sabotage community and participation in it”.

A lifelong conclusion can be obtained for the organization of the "sabotage community", for financing sabotage and some other crimes associated with them. For participation in the "sabotage community" will face up to 10 years in prison, for aiding sabotage - up to 20 years.

“Given that Russia is conducting a special military operation and at the same time accepts refugees, remains open to the entry and departure of foreign citizens, the adoption of the bill is a fundamentally important step necessary for the protection of our country. This is the general opinion of all the fractions of the State Duma, ”the speaker of the Duma Vyacheslav Volodin said on December 20.

The lawyer of the human rights project “First Department” Valery Vetoshkina considers the law against “sabotage activity” by the next repressive law. “Against the background of war, the authorities are afraid of the protest activity of any kind. And if, thanks to the articles for “fakes” and “discrediting” the army of the Russian Federation, the level of open confrontation fell, then the so -called partisan resistance increases or may increase, opposition politicians also speak of it. So, most likely, this is a struggle with this resistance, ”says Vetoshkina.

According to the lawyer, the authorities need more laws to intimidate people and remind them that everyone can be held accountable for anything. “One goal is to frighten,” Vetoshkina is sure. He believes that the main task of lawyers will reduce the punishment: "So that a person is not given lifelong."

“They [the authorities] proceed from the fact that they need to intimidate everyone and [in particular] to intimidate those people who could potentially participate in such actions. Classic of the genre, ”the lawyer Dmitry Grustatov agrees with Vetoshkina.

He notes that many Russian laws are specifically written in “blurry” formulations, “so that you can also fabricate business on people” who are not related to criminal activity.

The fight against traitors

Putin said about traitors, spies and sabotage spies and sabotage: “The maximum discharge, the concentration of forces is now required from the counterintelligence organs, including the military. It is necessary to strictly suppress the actions of foreign special services, quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs. ”

On the site kremlin.ru you can read the text of the congratulations entirely or watch a video.

Political scientist Abbas Gallimov believes that Putin’s statements are related to the growth of protest moods - both among ordinary people and in elites. “All that remains to do Putin is to tighten the nuts. So he rattles with a weapon - demonstrates his decisive mood. The only problem is that the more he does it, the faster the flywheel of discontent and the desire for change is spinning, ”says Gallamov.

The political scientist adds that such a policy “finally finishes the economy” and leads to a further deterioration in the life of citizens. And this, according to him, provokes a new round of discontent.

Political scientist Ivan Preobrazhensky is sure that Putin "needs an atmosphere of fear in society." “Their [security forces] activity within power in many began to cause irritation or fear. It is clear that they use this [struggle against traitors] to keep accounts or increase influence. But Putin, as it were, says that he [security forces] supports them, ”Preobrazhensky notes.

The expert agrees that in the near future we can expect an increase in the number of cases about "fakes" and "discrediting" of the actions of the Russian army, as well as about the Stateizer.