Arrests in Russia for wearing blue and yellow raise questions about interpreting wartime legislation and highlight the paranoia within the Russian officialdom, according to the British Defense Ministry's latest intelligence update.
The ministry tweeted:
- "Some local Russian security officials are likely interpreting Russia’s draconian wartime legislation to mean that public display of blue and yellow items is outlawed because it might evidence discreet support for Ukraine."
- "On 09 May 2023, a care home worker was reportedly arrested after wearing a blue and yellow jacket to work. In recent days, Russian National Guard troops arrested a 22 year old man in Volkhov near St Petersburg for displaying which was eventually determined to be the blue and yellow flag of Russia’s own Aerospace Forces."
- "The clampdown highlights uncertainty within a paranoid Russian officialdom of what is and is deemed permissible within an increasingly totalitarian system. Criticism of the arrests has come from an unexpected quarter: the ultra-nationalist, pro-war Liberal Democratic party. The party’s own branding features yellow on a blue background."
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