Russian President Putin defends arrest of critics amid Ukraine war; raises concerns over free speech

President Vladimir Putin defended the government's crackdown on dissenting voices in Russia during an ongoing "armed conflict" with Ukraine, urging compliance with "certain rules." Speaking to reporters in Saint Petersburg, Putin emphasized the need for a particular approach towards those perceived as harming the country from within.

"It's the year 2023, and Russia is engaged in an armed conflict with a neighbour. And I think that there should be a certain attitude towards people who harm us inside the country," Putin told reporters in Saint Petersburg.

"We must keep in mind that in order for us to achieve success, including in a conflict zone, everyone needs to follow certain rules," Putin added.

In response to a reporter's question regarding the recent imprisonment of a theatre director and a sociologist, Putin addressed the issue of individuals being arrested for their words or writings. The reporter, Andrei Kolesnikov, highlighted concerns about the normality of such actions taken by the authorities.

"The people were arrested for the words they said or wrote. Is this normal?" Andrei Kolesnikov, a veteran reporter for Kommersant daily, asked Putin.

During the same week, Russian authorities detained prominent sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky, accusing him of promoting terrorism online. In May, theatre director Yevgeniya Berkovich was arrested on charges of "justifying terrorism" over a play that depicted Russian women marrying radical Islamists in Syria through online recruitment.

In his response, Putin claimed not to be familiar with Kagarlitsky and Berkovich, stating that he was unaware of their actions or the circumstances of their arrests. However, he expressed a general attitude towards the broader problem of dissent in the country.

"I hear these names for the first time and do not really understand what they did or what was done to them," Putin said. "I'm just telling you about my overall attitude towards the problem."

Notably, criticism of Moscow's actions in Ukraine has been outlawed, and the liberal opposition faces significant challenges, with many prominent members either imprisoned or in exile. Even former separatist commander and nationalist blogger Igor Girkin faced detention on accusations of "extremism" after criticizing Putin.

• Russia
• Ukraine
• Vladimir Putin