Bloomberg, citing three sources, reported that the FSB's Second Service, which handles constitutional protection, has been given full freedom to investigate anyone and faces virtually no accountability. The Moscow Times noted that this service was behind the poisonings of politicians Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
President Vladimir Putin, who once balanced between hardliners in state security and more moderate officials, now consistently backs those favoring strict control over society and business, according to the agency.
The latest sign of escalating FSB repression was the terrorism charge the security service brought against Pavel Durov, sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg. This happened despite objections from Kremlin officials organizing State Duma elections, who warned of possible voter backlash against restrictions on Telegram.
The FSB is expanding its influence without visible limits, while other senior officials, including first deputy head of the presidential administration Sergei Kiriyenko, who oversees domestic policy, are losing ground, Bloomberg's sources said. People close to the Kremlin and the government say tension is rising within the authorities as civilian officials lose influence. Kiriyenko, in particular, is associated with failed political operations in Moldova, Hungary, and Armenia.
The FSB is intensifying not only ideological struggle but also economic—the list of seized assets and arrested businessmen is growing. This summer, Putin handed the Second Service control over the Russian internet, which it is trying to cleanse of "hostile types of communication," The Bell previously reported. Internet shutdowns "for security reasons" are linked to its actions.
The explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow on August 1 likely strengthened the FSB's position in discussions about tightening security measures, the agency wrote. It has virtually deprived other officials of the ability to resist the intensification of repression, which could undermine public support for Putin.
Political scientist Andrei Kolesnikov calls the FSB the "country's management company," and the presidential administration, Foreign Ministry, and financial-economic bloc the "technical staff." Sociologist Ella Paneyakh notes growing fear in society: "Everyone is scared because no one knows who they will come for next."