President Vladimir Putin has called on Russian investigative authorities to intensify efforts to safeguard what the Kremlin defines as “traditional values” and to counter what he described as mounting foreign interference in domestic affairs.
In a video address released Friday to mark Russia's professional holiday for investigative workers, Putin urged investigators to act decisively against what he termed “information sabotage and provocations,” saying such threats jeopardize Russia’s sovereignty, social unity and interethnic peace.
Putin also directed investigators to uncover financial crimes and fraud schemes, particularly those targeting elderly citizens and families of soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
His remarks expand upon earlier directives to prosecutors to monitor the activities of foreign governments, media organizations and NGOs.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has been tasked with compiling a registry of foreign influence operations supported by data from regional officials, the Central Bank and local authorities.
At the core of this effort is a policy framework introduced in November 2022, when Putin signed a decree outlining the state’s role in preserving “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.”
The same document identifies a wide range of perceived threats to these values, including foreign media, “extremist” organizations, transnational corporations and the policies of the U.S. and other Western nations.
The Kremlin claims these actors promote a “destructive ideology” rooted in what it characterizes as selfishness, immorality and a rejection of patriotism.
The decree singles out the promotion of LGBTQ+ relationships as a particular threat to Russian society.
The renewed push reflects the government’s ongoing effort to frame the war in Ukraine and broader geopolitical tensions as part of a civilizational struggle, casting Russia as a defender of traditional culture against the encroachment of liberal Western norms.
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