Kremlin pressuring Russian public figures to show support for war in Ukraine - British intelligence

British intelligence says that public figures in Russia continue to face substantial pressure to display overt support for the war in Ukraine.

The UK Defense Ministry said this in an intelligence update posted on the X social media platform, Ukrinform reports.

Russian media reported that in early February, a renewed "blacklist" of 50 artists had been circulated by Putin's administration to Russian concert promoters, effectively banning them from performing in Russia.

This list included public opponents of the war in Ukraine and other artists who had provoked the ire of the Kremlin for other reasons. Among them, for example, is Russian singer Filipp Kirkorov, who got on the list following a public scandal over a December "nearly naked" party in Moscow. The artist recently visited wounded Russian soldiers in temporarily occupied Ukraine and gave concerts.

The aftermath of the "nearly naked" party scandal in Moscow demonstrates the increasingly pervasive presence of the war in public life, the update said.

"The Kremlin almost certainly intentionally amplified and exploited the scandal, seeking to portray a contrast between Russians 'patriotically' supporting the war effort and a hedonistic 'Westernized' metropolitan elite. One attendee was jailed, fined under so-called "LGBT propaganda" laws, and served with a summons to a military conscription office," British intelligence said.