FSB Now ‘Main Operator’ of Repressive Policy and Its Focus has Shifted from the Capitals to the Russian Periphery and Occupied Territories, ‘Re-Russia’ Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 30 – The Judicial Department of the Russian Supreme Court has restricted its release of details about politically sensitive cases but the Re-Russia portal has examined the data available and has concluded that the FSB is now in charge of repression and its focus has shifted from the capitals to the Russian periphery and occupied Ukrainian territories.

            While many observers have concluded that the number of politically motivated cases was roughly the same in 2025 as in 2024, the Re-Russia portal says that its own figures show that there was a rise of about 70 percent, most of which can outside of the capitals of Russia and within occupied Ukraine (re-russia.net/analytics/0467/).

            Growth in the number of politically sensitive cases in those two areas reflects the FSB’s decision to focus on occupied areas of Ukraine in order to support the Russian war effort there and on regions and republics far from Moscow which it had ignored earlier but where other forms of political actions are now on the rise.