Of course, the main purpose of the adoption of the Kremlin’s package of amendments to the (non-existent) Constitution of Russia was to «reset» Vladimir Putin’s presidential term. But Putin has already successfully «reset» himself, while the amendments adopted for this purpose, establishing state ideology and censorship in Russia, are beginning to live their own lives, affecting the lives of Russians.
In this regard, we would like to remind you of what we wrote about the essence of these amendments when their content became known (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=38142):
«…a provision will appear stating that the state in Russia «protects historical truth, does not allow falsification of history, diminishes the significance of the people’s heroic deeds in defense of the Fatherland.» In plain language, this means that at the constitutional level it will now be established that instead of different points of view on history, which everyone can express in accordance with the principle of freedom of speech, there is a certain «historical truth» that is protected and also apparently established by the state. And its denial or criticism will be considered as «falsification of history», which will also be prohibited».
This is exactly what is beginning to happen. Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, announced that a special department will be created within the Investigative Committee to investigate crimes related to the «falsification of the history of the Fatherland». Thus, if before political surveillance bodies such as «E-stapo» centers (centers for countering extremism) mainly persecuted those who commented incorrectly on contemporary issues, now a specially created subdivision of law enforcement officials will start looking for those who comment incorrectly on past events.
For example, the truth about the genocide of Muslims in the Caucasus and the Volga region during their conquest by the Russian Empire may fall under their jurisdiction. After all, one of the amendments to the Constitution now says: «The Russian Federation, united by a thousand-year history,» which means that a critical view of the actions of the authorities not only of the Russian Federation, but also of the USSR, the Russian Empire, the Moscow State, and even the Kievan Rus can also be characterized as «falsifying the history of the fatherland.
When the state law-enforcement agencies take control even over the discussion of its history, it is not surprising that whole peoples, especially «small indigenous peoples,» begin to come under control. Recently it became known that the head of Putin’s government, Mikhail Mishustin, has decided to keep a «register of individuals belonging to the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation» and to create a «list of individuals belonging to the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation». The decision on who belongs to these peoples will be made not by their national communities, but by the authorities of the Russian Federation. The justification for this is completely benign — «to ensure the realization of the social and economic rights of the mentioned persons». But the same arguments are used by the authorities of Communist China to justify their policy against the Uyghurs (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=37128). Putin’s security forces are clearly following their example.
For those who think that their application does not threaten Russia, we suggest recalling what the same Alexander Bastrykin, who is already creating a department to identify those who «interfere with Russian history,» called for in 2016 (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=29563).