The number of denunciations in Putinistan has tripled in two years

Russians are increasingly writing denunciations against relatives, neighbors and just strangers. The causes can be completely different - from conversations over a cigarette at the front door to photographs on social networks. Police sources reported in the first quarter of 2024, 575.000 denunciations throughout the country.

"Many informants are engaged in outright nonsense. Someone saw yellow laces in a neighbor's blue sneakers, and considers it necessary to report it. Of course, this is nonsense, but we must respond to every denunciation. And some of these letters end in real cases under the article on discrediting the army,” says a source in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

He says that the total number of requests is growing every year and sees this as a manifestation of patriotism, although he admits that sometimes the appeals are frankly idiotic in nature.

“It happens that competitors want to set the police against each other. They write that they play Ukrainian music in this coffee shop. We are forced to react,” says another source and adds that an sharp increase in the number of requests was noticed after the start of the war. In February-March 2022, just under 200.000 requests were written throughout the country.

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