Some local russian security officials are likely interpreting russia’s draconian wartime legislation to mean that public display of blue and yellow items is outlawed because it might evidence discreet support for Ukraine, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Read more: Belgorod Attacked for the Second Time, russia Is Facing Dilemma in Border Defense Strategy
On May 9, 2023, a care home worker was reportedly arrested after wearing a blue and yellow jacket to work.
In recent days, russian National Guard troops arrested a 22 year old man in Volkhov near St Petersburg for displaying which was eventually determined to be the blue and yellow flag of russia’s own Aerospace Forces.
According to the UK Defense Intelligence, the clampdown highlights uncertainty within a paranoid russian officialdom of what is and is deemed permissible within an increasingly totalitarian system.
Criticism of the arrests has come from an unexpected quarter: the ultra-nationalist, pro-war Liberal Democratic party. The party’s own branding features yellow on a blue background.
As Defense Express reported, Russian Opposition Figure Boris Nadezhdin Breaks Taboo: Calls for New President on State TV to Restore European Relations.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence: russia Struggles to Reach its Own War Aims as it Reacts to Ukrainian Actions
