Putin expands secrecy law to tighten wartime control in Russia

President Vladimir Putin has expanded the range of information covered by Russia’s state secrecy law, further tightening his grip on society as his war in Ukraine continues.

Details of Russia’s foreign policy, international trade and economic policy, scientific developments and preparations for possible military mobilisation may all now be classified as secret if disclosure is considered to harm national security, according to a decree published on the government’s legal website.

Anyone receiving such material in an unauthorized way could face as much as eight years in prison.

“This is the destruction of expertise on the Russian economy based on facts and statistics and will lead to more repression,” said Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russia’s security services. Classifying information on mobilization was likely “a reaction to Ukrainian drone attacks, because this is classifying details like bunkers and underground government relocation plans,” rather than preparations for a new draft of troops for the war, he said.

Russia has already stopped publication of many statistics since the start of the war, including key budget data and official oil output figures. Information on Russian military casualties is also secret.

The Kremlin has cracked down hard on dissent since Putin ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including with a law criminalizing “fake news” about the Russian army that’s been used to crush even mild criticism. Opposition activists, journalists and people showing support for social media posts have all been handed lengthy jail terms.