Putin has said the country is in a proxy war with the West, and citizens need to help root out internal enemies. In March 2022, weeks after the invasion, he declared that the Russian people “will always be able to distinguish the true patriots from the scum and the traitors, and just spit them out like a gnat that accidentally flew into their mouths.”

Since the start of the Ukraine war, according to OVD-Info, the authorities have detained more than 20,000 people for various forms of anti-war statements or protests, and launched criminal cases against 1,094 individuals.

In news reports, court cases and on social media, examples have come to light of neighbour informing on neighbour, churchgoers denouncing priests and students reporting on teachers.

For some, the resulting current climate is reminiscent of the atmosphere of mutual distrust and suspicion under Soviet Communist rule.