At the latest through the sanctions and the partial mobilization, Putin's war of aggression has become noticeable for the Russian population. Now Russian authorities are also reporting an increase in acts of violence in the country. The media blame two groups for this.
Since the beginning of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian authorities have registered a significant increase in attacks with explosive devices and firearms at home. Between January and October, the number of crimes involving the use of such weapons or dummies increased by almost 30 percent compared to the same period last year, Russian media reported, citing statistics released by the Interior Ministry. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 of this year and since then has repeatedly complained about attacks on its own territory.
Accordingly, the largest increase in the crimes mentioned was reported from the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod. For months, the governors there have repeatedly reported shelling, for which they blame Ukraine. Kyiv usually does not comment on these allegations.
However, the two largest Russian cities also recorded a notable increase in crimes involving weapons, explosive devices and dummies: Moscow reported an increase of more than 200 percent compared to the previous year, and the Baltic Sea metropolis of St. Petersburg by more than 100 percent. The Interior Ministry did not provide an official explanation for this.
According to media reports, the willingness to use violence among the population has increased overall. There were several reports of people returning from the front who then also took up arms at home in conflicts.
Media critical of the Kremlin in particular have repeatedly reported on how opponents of the war attack buildings of state and municipal institutions with Molotov cocktails, for example. There were numerous protests, especially in the course of the mobilization ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in September, which caused panic among many Russians.
