Christine Drews Sieger
The Kremlin has shifted power to the FSB, replacing political balance with widespread fear, digital control, and heavy repression.
A massive internal power shift is currently transforming Moscow’s political landscape.
Russian President Vladimir Putin now relies overwhelmingly on the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, to enforce domestic order.
Bloomberg, cited by o2, reports that Putin has abandoned his traditional strategy of mediating between financial experts and the intelligence community.
Instead, he is now firmly empowering the security apparatus to dominate both the private sector and public life.
Technocrats are taking the heat. Powerful government figures are rapidly losing standing or being ousted altogether.
Political Setbacks and Growing Fear
Former top presidential official Sergei Kiriyenko now faces intense internal blame following diplomatic and political setbacks in Armenia, Moldova, and Hungary.
The climate of fear extends well beyond anti-war activists. Prominent business leaders and seasoned civil servants now share the exact same dread, aware that past loyalty offers zero protection.
This relentless campaign of intimidation easily crosses foreign borders. Sources consider the recent terrorism charges brought against Telegram’s co-founder, billionaire Pavel Durov, as yet another sign of this repression.
Bloomberg sources indicate a specialized division within the FSB engineered the case specifically to force the messaging platform into compliance.
Harsher Penalties for Exiles
Exiles face harsh new penalties as well. A newly enacted law enables the state to financially paralyze expats by cutting off their banking and freezing local properties, while simultaneously denying them basic consular services like passport issuance.
“Everyone is terrified because nobody knows who they’re coming for,” said Ella Paneyakh, a sociologist at the New Eurasian Strategies Center. Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center analyst Tatiana Stanovaya agreed.
She noted that the Kremlin appears increasingly detached from domestic issues, with normal state administration deteriorating due to Putin’s obsession with the war in Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
The Death of Digital Autonomy
The expansion of FSB power is now reaching Russia’s digital sphere, according to Carnegie Politika.
The Russian internet, known as the Runet, has increasingly moved under the control of the FSB’s Second Service, which views the internet not as a driver of innovation and communication, but as a potential threat requiring constant control.
This shift has transformed digital governance into a tool of surveillance and repression. Instead of technical management, the focus has turned toward bans, restrictions, and filtering of information.
The result is a shrinking space for digital independence, as the Kremlin accepts the technological, economic, and political costs of placing control above openness.
