Informants in Ukraine: Russians Report on Colleagues and Unknown Individuals in the Conflict

During Russia's Soviet era, it was common for people to report their neighbors, colleagues, and even strangers to the authorities. Now, as the government cracks down on critics of the Ukraine war, individuals with personal grudges and political beliefs are once again denouncing others. One woman, who goes by the name Anna Korobkova but refuses to disclose her location, claims that she was taught how to snitch by her snitch grandfather. She says that she has written 1,397 denunciations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, resulting in fines, firings, and accusations of being foreign agents for those she reports. Korobkova spends much of her free time online, reporting people for "discrediting the Russian army," an offense that carries heavy penalties. She communicates only via email due to receiving death threats and fearing information hacking. Korobkova's motives for snitching include helping Russia defeat Ukraine and protecting her own financial stability. She believes that if Ukraine wins, it could lead to financial repercussions for the country and its residents. Since the introduction of new censorship laws following the invasion, over 8,000 cases have opened against people for discrediting the army, according to human rights group OVD-Info. Korobkova principally targets individuals who speak to the media, especially those appearing on international outlets. Her actions have effectively silenced experts like anthropologist Aleksandra Arkhipova, who was labeled a foreign agent by the Russian state partly due to Korobkova's denunciations. Another victim of Korobkova's reporting was teacher Tatiana Chervenko, who was fired after she declined to teach patriotism classes and chose to teach math instead. Korobkova maintains a database of the people she has reported and the consequences of her actions, claiming to have caused job losses and fines. While she claims to target enemies of the state, reports suggest that denunciations are also being used to settle personal scores. One such case involves fisherman Yaroslav Levchenko, who was reported for holding anti-war views after an argument with a colleague that resulted in him being assaulted. Levchenko was subsequently arrested and accused of justifying terrorism. Friends believe that the denunciation was an attempt to divert attention away from the assault. Russian police officers admit to being overwhelmed with denunciations since the war began. They have shared that significant time is spent investigating charges related to discrediting the army, resulting in limited resources for other cases. With President Putin urging punishment for betrayers and no end to the war in sight, individuals like Korobkova show no intention of stopping their reporting.