Bloomberg: Putin has ordered the FSB to investigate anyone without any accountability. This is what the Russian elite fears

Russian elites fear that the Federal Security Service (FSB) has "gone out of control" as Vladimir Putin instructs the intelligence agency to maintain his grip on power. In particular, one FSB unit has been given the power to investigate anyone without any accountability.

Bloomberg writes about this, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Sources say that the recent accusations of terrorism against billionaire Telegram founder Pavel Durov indicate an intensification of the FSBʼs crackdown. According to three other journalists, the FSBʼs second department, which is responsible for combating terrorism and maintaining political order in Russia, has been given complete freedom to investigate.

The FSBʼs repressions target not only opposition figures, but also business, academics, cultural figures, and even members of the Russian elite. The FSBʼs Second Department has opened cases against dozens of physicists and aerospace researchers on charges of "treason" because they once participated in international conferences.

The Russian secret service also maintains unofficial blacklists of actors, musicians, and directors it considers traitors. Sociologist Ella Paneyakha believes that an atmosphere of fear already reigns not only among the Russian elite, but also among the middle class — because no one knows who will be the secret serviceʼs next target.

• On July 29, the Russian FSB put Pavel Durov on the international wanted list and charged him with aiding terrorism. The Telegram administration was accused of failing to remove channels, chat rooms, and bots that Ukrainian special services allegedly use to prepare terrorist attacks and mass murders in Russia.

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