Retweeting a Twitter tweet or liking a Facebook post that the Kremlin doesn't like can now land Russians in prison.
And salty language in theater performances, films, and the media can now lead to stiff fines.
The stated goal of the former is to combat extremism. The purported objective of the latter is to promote traditional values and preserve the "purity of the Russian language."
But few doubt that the real point of both is to tighten the Kremlin's control over discourse -- and therefore, over politics.
Will it lead to an Orwellian nightmare? Or a Kafkaesque theater of the absurd?
On this week's "Power Vertical Podcast," we discuss these trends. Joining me are co-host Mark Galeotti, a professor at New York University, an expert on Russia's security services, and author of the blog "In Moscow's Shadows"; and Merhat Sharipzhan, an analyst with RFE/RL's Central Newsroom.
Also on the podcast, we discuss a recent report about a Russian hacker group targeting Western energy firms.
Enjoy...
Listen to or download the podcast above or subscribe to "The Power Vertical Podcast" on iTunes.
