Putin’s Russia – Repression and Censorship: How the Regime Silenced Opposition and Free Speech?

How did an unremarkable KGB officer become one of the most powerful and controversial leaders in the world? In this special series of the 4 Minutes podcast, we closely follow Vladimir Putin’s rise to power – from his childhood in Soviet Leningrad to his intelligence career and the key moments of his rule that reshaped Russia and the world. What events shaped his policies? What are the roots of the current conflict? And what does the future hold for Russia?

Join us for this compelling series and understand how Putin’s Russia came to be. 🎙️

Transcript

In this episode, we take a closer look at the internal political developments in Russia, where a repressive system has gradually taken shape — one that suppresses freedom of speech, public dissent, and even independent thought that deviates from the Kremlin’s official line. Repression and censorship have become cornerstones of state policy, transforming a country that once promised openness and reform into a place where free expression is punished and where power extends beyond public life into the private lives of its citizens.

Suppressing opposition in Russia is not new, but since 2020 — and especially after the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — this practice has taken on a new level of intensity and brutality. One of the most symbolic cases is that of Alexei Navalny, the most prominent opposition leader in recent years, who survived an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent, only to return to Russia and be immediately arrested and sentenced in a series of sham trials. His organization was declared extremist and banned, while its members were surveilled, persecuted, and in many cases forced into exile. Navalny himself was held in a high-security prison colony and, in February 2024, died under still unclear circumstances. His death became a chilling symbol of how far the regime is willing to go to silence dissent.

But these repressive tools are not limited to prominent figures. Ordinary citizens now face arrest for peacefully protesting, sharing posts on social media, or simply expressing disagreement with the war. After the adoption of laws criminalizing the “discrediting of the army” and the spread of “false information” about the so-called special military operation, people can be fined or imprisoned even for calling the invasion a war. Some have been prosecuted for messages on their bags, stickers on their laptops, or even holding up blank pieces of paper in silent protest.

Censorship extends far beyond social media or street demonstrations. It reaches into the media, education, culture, and everyday communication. Dozens of independent media outlets have been banned, their websites blocked, and their editors forced to flee abroad. Those who remained face constant surveillance and threats of prosecution. Some journalists have been arrested or charged with espionage. As a result, pluralism in Russian society has virtually disappeared — only state-controlled narratives remain, dominating public discourse.

Schools and universities have been transformed into tools of ideological indoctrination. Patriotic education, mandatory lectures on Russian military history and heroism, and the banning of criticism of government policies have become standard. Teachers and academics who express dissenting views are fired, publicly shamed, and banned from working in their fields. Students who take part in protests are expelled. The entire education system is under pressure to raise “loyal citizens” instead of independent thinkers.

This climate of fear has spread into families and neighborhoods. People watch what they say at work, at school, even on public transportation. Reports of citizens being denounced by coworkers, neighbors, or even family members have become more frequent. Society is closing in on itself. Trust is eroding, and self-censorship has become part of daily life.

In this episode, we’ve examined the machinery behind the regime’s grip on power. Not only through force and violence, but by systematically undermining trust, freedom, and truth. Repression and censorship are not side effects of authoritarianism — they are its foundation. And any dictatorship that wants to stay in power must first create silence. Silence from its critics, silence from its journalists, and silence from its people.

Thank you for listening.