By Olha Chepil | 2026-02-23

Thoughts, not just actions, may soon draw official scrutiny in Russia. A bill introduced in the State Duma would expand so-called preventive measures against "distorting history" and evading military obligations, giving security agencies broader authority to intervene before any offense occurs.

The initiative was authored by senior lawmakers including Security Committee chair Vasily Piskarev and Defense Committee chair Andrey Kartapolov. Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said last month the chamber would prioritize examining the proposal.

If adopted, the measure would authorize preventive conversations, official warnings, legal briefings and surveillance of citizens. It also envisions cooperation from law enforcement and from local authorities and nongovernmental organizations as well.

"The very name of this law -- 'prevention' -- is telling. A person hasn't done anything yet, but based on [the authorities'] opinion, they thought or said something 'wrong,'" Ihor Reiterovich, head of political and legal programs at the Ukrainian Center of Social Development, told Kontur.

Analysts say the draft effectively formalizes pressure based on perceived loyalty rather than actions.

Ideological pressure expands

Ukraine's National Resistance Center said the bill creates a legal basis for ideological control, arguing it consolidates tools to regulate historical narratives and public attitudes.

Human rights experts note the proposal builds on an existing framework of laws already used to police historical interpretation. Oleg Kozlovsky, a Russia expert at Amnesty International, said measures on "rehabilitation of Nazism," constitutional provisions on defending "historical truth," and fines for "desecrating memory" already allow authorities to punish alternative views of the past.

"The 'historical truth' whose defense they're concerned about is determined by officials based on current political interests. Any other interpretations are suppressed through tactics including fines and prison," Kozlovsky told Kontur.

The bill would expand this system by allowing officials to monitor people deemed potential violators, summon them for conversations or issue warnings -- steps that institutionalize pressure tied to opinions rather than concrete actions.

"Essentially the mere suspicion that a person has an opinion that deviates from the official line on historical topics could be enough for them to attract the attention of the security agencies," Kozlovsky said.

Lawyer Valeria Vetoshkina of OVD-Info told Kontur the danger lies less in the preventive tools themselves than in the vague definitions triggering them.

"The problem lies elsewhere. The law includes categories that are as vague and ideologically loaded as possible, such as 'distorting the historical truth' and 'evading defense of the homeland.' That allows the authorities to use prevention not to thwart concrete damage but to exert pressure on people early on for their views," Vetoshkina said.

Experts warn the measure could create a pool of "potentially disloyal" citizens -- activists, teachers, parents and others -- subject to warnings, police summons or administrative monitoring.

Education already plays a role in this environment. Since 2024, Russian schools have replaced the Life Safety course with Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland, which includes military training and drone-related skills. Authorities also plan to recruit combat veterans as instructors, reinforcing what analysts describe as the growing ideological function of education.

"Ultimately, prevention risks becoming an instrument of preemptive ideological control, especially in places where there are no independent courts or effective appeal mechanisms," Vetoshkina said.

Rights groups note that criminal cases are already being opened over online comments about World War II or the Soviet past, often seen as a means of intimidation.

Impact on occupied areas

Analysts say the proposal could have especially far-reaching consequences in Russian-occupied territories, where it may reinforce broader efforts to reshape identity and public memory.

Reiterovich said the initiative should be viewed as part of Russia's wider ideological strategy.

"Above all this means gaining additional tools of influence over citizens who might be so bold as to have a different interpretation of historical events," he noted.

He warned the law could legitimize repression in occupied regions.

"From the perspective of the temporarily occupied territories, this is just an additional opportunity for repression, under the law, against people who tolerate an alternative interpretation of the past," Reiterovich said.

Education is central to that effort.

"This is a component of stepping up pressure on children and young adults in these territories who attend Russian schools because they often have no other choice. The Kremlin believes that in this way it will be able to keep things under control," he added.

Reiterovich compared the approach to Soviet practices of ideological discipline.

"It's reminiscent of the Soviet era, when people were summoned to special meetings and persuaded to change their views," he said.

"The logic here is to be proactive by summoning people, forcing them to renounce their own views and embrace the line the government considers to be the right one."

If passed, analysts say the bill could blur the line between prevention and persecution, turning historical interpretation itself into another instrument of state control.