Kremlin blames Russian dissidents for ‘explosions and assassinations’

A top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, accused Russian dissidents of carrying out “explosions and assassinations” against their own people, in defiance of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Medvedev, who held the Russian presidency once under Putin, took to social media to complain about the surge of terrorist acts in the country, stating that “terrorism is back on our streets, in our cities.” He singled out jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, among other opposition leaders, as “petty terrorists and murderers” who must be punished by the Russian state.

Medvedev made these remarks after a pro-war blogger associated with the Wagner Group was killed in a bombing incident. The Russian official claimed that the opposition was behind the attack, justifying the call for a new crackdown on dissent.

Although Putin has imposed draconian censorship laws to stifle criticism of the Russian military and anti-war activism, two incidents have exposed the growing discontent of the Russian people concerning the country’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. The first was a leaked recording of a conversation among supposed loyalists expressing anger at the war’s consequences. The second was the surfacing of a Russian defector who urged his former colleagues to expose the corruption around Putin.

The Russian state has not yet responded to these incidents.

Despite the Kremlin’s efforts to suppress anti-war activity and censor the media, the bombing that killed the pro-war blogger has ignited debates among Russian citizens about the country’s involvement in the bloody conflict in Ukraine.