Putin signs decrees on the assembly line - but half of them are secret
Since the beginning of the war, the number of Russian presidential decrees has increased enormously. Putin often uses them to bestow honorary titles on the military, but half of them are classified as secret. According to research by a media site, there are several reasons why the documents remain under lock and key.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has been signing heaps of decrees - such as the recent one allowing mercenaries to obtain a Russian passport. An investigation by the media website Mediazona has now revealed that Putin approved 997 decrees last year alone, but half of them (49.5 percent) are classified as secret.
This is the highest number of unpublished documents by the Russian government in one year. The old record dates back to 2001 during the height of the second Chechen war. At that time, 47 percent of the decrees were classified as secret.
Presidential decrees in Russia are numbered consecutively at the beginning of each year, with the numbers for classified documents being omitted. Mediazona used this to determine the percentage of secret documents. They also found that the number of decrees issued last year has remained virtually unchanged since 2022: 997 compared to 996 in the previous year. There is therefore a clear correlation with the war, as only 20 percent of decrees were classified in the month before the war began.
Two main reasons for secrecy
Mediazona therefore assumes that there are two main reasons for secrecy. Firstly, the awarding of military honors for soldiers who died in battle and the pardoning of convicted criminals who took part in the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine. Russia is keeping a low profile, especially when it comes to casualty figures; the deaths of Russian officers are regularly reported by Ukraine, but not confirmed by the Kremlin. It is known that Russian convicts are fighting in Ukraine, but in many cases it is not known why they were previously imprisoned.
Other reasons why decrees remain secret were uncovered by research carried out by the Financial Times. Putin is said to have issued a decree allowing the assets of foreign companies to be nationalized or their assets to be transferred to Russian companies. This was the Kremlin's response to the numerous sanctions against Russia and was intended to punish "naughty" Western companies.
The unclassified presidential decrees published in 2023 also reflect the ongoing war. The number of documents on the awarding of the honorary title of "Guard" to military formations, units and ships has increased significantly. The actual reasons for awarding the title are obscured by the use of standard phrases such as "for heroism and bravery" or "for valor and courage".
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Vladimir Putin's escalating actions in Ukraine, such as granting mercenaries Russian citizenship, have been accompanied by an increase in classified decrees. According to Mediazona's investigation, 49.5% of the 997 decrees Putin signed in 2022 were kept secret, making it the highest number of unpublished documents in a year since the second Chechen war.
This surge in classified decrees is particularly notable given that only 20% of decrees were classified in the month prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The reasons for this secrecy, as suggested by Mediazona, include concealing military honors for soldiers, pardoning convicted criminals involved in the conflict, and potentially nationalizing assets of foreign companies in response to sanctions.
Source: www.ntv.de
