Russia’s Vladimir Putin has apparently begun to question how loyal members of his government are ahead of a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive that threatens to deal his war machine another blow.
Sources cited by Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper on Wednesday said authorities recently completed an internal investigation into the “emotional state” and behavior of employees at federal agencies.
Out of 2 million people surveyed, 33,000 officials were weeded out for perceived misconduct involving social media—in some cases the “offense” was as simple as following supporters of imprisoned Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny.
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“Opposition sentiments” were flagged in thousands of the more than 30,000 officials found to have “incorrectly behaved themselves on social media,” one source told Vedomosti.
Research on the “emotional climate” among government officials began in the spring of 2022, after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. A source close to the presidential administration told Vedomosti the move was intended to determine who could be relied on for the upcoming presidential election.
It was not immediately clear what repercussions those with “opposition sentiments” would face.
Separately, the independent outlet Verstka reports that the Kremlin has become so worried about whether or not lower-level officials are loyal, they’ve set up a program of “perks” to be offered in regions across the country.
Some of the proposed “perks” reportedly include free parking for officials at administrative buildings, vending machines with chips, and preferential terms for bank loans.
While trying to appease officials across the board, the presidential administration has also deemed the “number one [protest] threat” ahead of the 2024 election to be “disappointed patriots,” according to sources cited by Verstka.
“They are characterized as those who are dissatisfied with Putin's gentleness in Ukraine, confident in the need for the complete destruction of its statehood, and who consider it acceptable to quickly move the entire country's economy for the sake of this on a wartime footing,” the source was quoted saying.
The news comes as Putin appears determined to tighten his grip at home while Ukraine trains an additional 40,000 troops for an upcoming counteroffensive to take back the territories seized by Russia.
The Russian leader on Wednesday summoned his puppet leaders of Moscow’s “new” territories for a meeting of the Security Council, where he ordered them to crack down on dissent and tighten the screws. Calling for the stolen land to be integrated into Russia’s legal framework “as quickly as possible,” he ordered the proxy leaders to have Russian branches of law enforcement and security services set up by June 1.
While he railed against the West and the “Kyiv regime,” Putin also perhaps unwittingly revealed that life under Russian control in the occupied territories is not quite as pleasant and safe as it’s purported to be on Kremlin-run TV, as organized crime, drug dealers, and financial scammers are rampant.
“In all four regions, increased attention should be paid to the fight against crime, including the prevention and suppression of serious and especially serious crimes, attempts to take control of other people’s property,” Putin said, noting that these crime rates were especially high.
But, he claimed, “the absolute majority of residents in the new regions made their choice in favor of Russia.”
