The Russian authorities have repeatedly justified the war against Ukraine, comparing it with World War II, and their actions with the participation of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition. The State has appropriated the right to the past and is actively rewriting history. During the state’s war for the war, the authorities began to actively exploit legislation that assumes responsibility for those who disagree with the official interpretation of World War II. Nevertheless, by May 2025, the number of such criminal cases related to memory abuse, according to our data, is significantly lower than the number of anti-war prosecutions since 2022.
Amongst the war-related cases lead those initiated by the actions estimated by the prosecutors as support to the ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’ or to the ‘Freedom of Russia’ Legion (for instance, in the form of the comments on social networks). Out of 138 cases overall for different political reasons in 2025, the acts of persecution directly connected to the anti-war statements and other forms of protest against the military actions in Ukraine only concerned 35 individuals.