Popular unrest in Russia; Putin launches repressive wave of high-level political arrests

Ajouté : 2026-04-30

[00:00:04]Nearly 4 years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow faces a surge in discontent. Law enforcement agencies, in turn, have launched a new wave of high-profile political raids and arrests. CNN reports this, noting that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is responding to the wave of discontent in the only way he knows how. Internet shutdowns in Russian cities have affected ordinary citizens, and public opposition to the Kremlin is growing. The country faces wartime economic hardship as its security forces contain protests, and the military conflict in the Middle East has given Moscow's war against Ukraine an unexpected boost thanks to a sharp rise in oil prices, CNN reports.

[00:00:50]Nevertheless, Russia's repressive state apparatus is likely now gaining momentum, the article's author states, pointing to a wave of high-profile political arrests and searches in recent weeks. At the same time, CNN [music] writes, the Russian government is reviving the ghosts of the Soviet past.

[00:01:09]As one of the most recent such examples, >> [music] >> the article sites a search of the offices of one of the country's largest publishing houses and the detention of employees as part of a criminal investigation into what Russian authorities call LGBTQ+ propaganda.

[00:01:25]Russia under Vladimir Putin has long reacted with hostility to what it considers dangerous Western ideas. The Russian dictator defines his role as a defender of traditional values. However, the publishing industry is not the only one in Russia where space for free speech is being curtailed, CNN notes. In April, searches were conducted at the offices of Novaya Gazeta, whose co-founder received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. The RIA Novosti propaganda agency, >> [music] >> citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs, reported that journalist Oleg Roldugin was detained for questioning in connection with the alleged illegal handling of personal data.

[00:02:06]The journalist himself pleaded not guilty during the pre-trial detention hearing. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the publication was forced to close its print edition, but Novaya Gazeta continues to operate online. The recent searches further marginalized the remnants of independent press. Along with its attack on the media, the Kremlin is also reviving former symbols of political repression, CNN notes. Recently, the FSB Academy, where Vladimir Putin trained as a KGB agent, [music] was renamed in honor of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret police. CNN also points to a number of other developments that suggest Moscow may be intent on preserving the country's dark totalitarian past. At the same time, the Russian dictator himself is displaying indifference. Only on Thursday, April 23rd, did Putin directly respond [music] for the first time to Russians' complaints about mobile internet restrictions in Russia. The Russian dictator stated that this was related to operational work to prevent terrorist attacks. However, he made it clear that the public did not need to know all the details. In summary, CNN notes that there are no signs of abating the repression of the Russian security services against the population. In early April, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, or ISW, noted that the Kremlin had recently faced a harsher reaction from the Russian population due to increased censorship than Moscow had expected. Vladimir Putin's trust rating has fallen by five percentage points, from 76% [music] to 71% since March 22nd, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. This marks the largest drop in Putin's trust rating since 2019.

[00:03:56]Weekly polls by FOM show that Putin's trust rating has been steadily declining since February 8th, 2026.

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