Putin's veil of secrecy: Record number of classified decrees signed in 2023, reveals Mediazona
Putin appears to sign decrees almost daily. In 2022, 996 of such documents were published, with the figure marginally increasing to 997 a year later.
12:53 PM EST, January 3, 2024
Last year, Putin was reported to have signed a record number of secret documents. "The year 2023 set an all-time record in terms of the share of Putin's secret decrees," discovered the Mediazona editorial team.
Almost half of Putin's decrees were classified in 2023
Journalists estimate that nearly one in two such documents was classified. More precisely, it was calculated that secret decrees in 2023 constituted 49.5 percent of all decrees. These were believed to cover matters such as awards for soldiers who performed well in the war or pardoning prisoners to enable their participation in front-line battles.
"The Moscow Times", meanwhile, suggests that some secret decrees might involve granting posthumous decorations to fallen Russians. Concurrently, Ukrainians have been conducting a counteroffensive, managing to reclaim substantial tracts of territory. This has resulted in a hefty toll on Putin's military force.
Other decrees might relate to pardoning prisoners who subsequently joined groups such as the Wagner Group.
Highest number of secret decrees issued in July
With every month following Russia's assault on Ukraine, the number of classified documents signed by Putin grew. Mediazona published a chart on portal X, showing that around February 2022, just over 20 percent of them were classified, which rose to over 50 percent by the transition from March to April. In July 2023, Putin issued the most classified orders, with the rate exceeding 60 percent.
Mediazona asserts that the previous highest proportion of secret decrees - 47 percent - was back in 2001, which coincided with the Second Chechen War from October 1999 to April 2009.
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