“F*cking Russians, separatists, I'll f*ck your mother!” This is how David Azaryan, a migrant worker, expresses his attitude toward four Crimean offenders in a language accessible to the occupiers and asks them to “come one by one.” The voice behind the camera does not agree with the proposal, but instead asks the interlocutor to repeat his words again. Judging by the intonation, this person knows exactly where to send the video recording. The very next day, it appears on the Telegram channel “Crimean SMERSH.” Commentators demand that Azaryan be shot and that SMERSH be reinstated in Crimea because those who “have a different view of life than ours” must be punished.

David Azaryan was “lucky” to spend two weeks behind bars — even the occupation court found no signs of extremism in his words. But the story of the migrant worker is a typical example of a situation where scores are settled not independently, but with the help of a “tip-off to the right people.” And this is one of the basic motives that prompt Crimeans to cooperate with “Comrade Major.” Because the method is foolproof and carries no risks. It suits the security forces too: informers themselves obtain all the necessary evidence, willingly act as witnesses, and help “make a plan for arrests.” 

"There are plenty of such stories in business. Recently, a neighbor had a raid at his store and home because one of his competitors reported him. He says that they were seriously looking for Ukrainian channels on TV and Ukrainian products in the store. What prompted them to conduct such searches? And when they found nothing, they presented him with a choice: either “donate for the SVO needs” right now, or they would conduct a second round of searches and would definitely find something, for a minimum of five years," says an entrepreneur from the southern coast of Crimea. 

The human rights organization Crimean Process recalls how a court in Saki considered the case of a local resident who allegedly shouted “Glory to Ukraine” at a bus stop. Two fellow villagers wrote a denunciation against him. They took offense when he complained that they were drunk as skunks, shouting and swearing. The remark cost the Saky resident 15 days in jail.

At the same time, denunciations are not always a means of revenge. Crimeans note that the number of “ideological informers” is also growing every year. Russian propaganda is working hard on this, persistently forming a pattern among the residents of the occupied territories to report anything unpleasant and anyone suspicious to the authorities.

"This is a carefully thought-out campaign to influence the psyche. Everywhere you go, you are urged to call the hotline without hesitation. And for any reason: if a kindergarten teacher did not say hello, if there was a queue of two people at the clinic, if you did not receive your change at the store, or if you were sworn at on the bus - complain. The habit of calling and complaining becomes part of everyday life. People begin to consider reporting others to be completely normal," says a teacher from the Dzhankoy district. According to her, this is especially evident in children. Schoolchildren are taught that reporting others is their duty and a sign of patriotism. And that they should be “vigilant” not only towards their peers, but also towards their parents, teachers, and neighbors.

These observations are confirmed by a resident of eastern Crimea, whose son suffered from “vigilant” peers.

"He and his friends were driving around the village in a car. They stopped near a store. There was another car nearby with other guys in it - they live on the next street. They turned on the Russian anthem at full volume. Our guys played Okean Elzy. They started competing to see whose car stereo was louder. But in the end, the ones with the Russian anthem secretly called the police, and my son and his friends were given 15 days in jail. At the trial, I looked these guys in the eye and thought they would at least be ashamed. But they were proud: ‘We detained the traitors,’” the woman says.

The most well-known mouthpiece for the normalization and even glorification of denunciations is the aforementioned “Crimean SMERSH.” We have already reported on its founder, Alexander Talipov, in detail on several occasions. This project positions itself as an independent public initiative. In fact, it is a retransmitter of content from the “Center for Countering Extremism,” a division whose main task is to identify citizens who are disloyal to the Kremlin, especially in the occupied territories. 

"The scheme looks like this: operatives find some seditious statements and ‘leak’ them to Talipov. He posts them on his channel, saying, ‘Look, I found a fat 'zhdun’ (a derogatory term for a Ukrainian that means “someone who is waiting”), let's bottle him (rape him with a bottle - Ed.), comrade major, it's your turn!'. And three days ago, they left, detained him, and processed him. A few hours after the appeal, a video appears with apologies and humiliation. Everyone is delighted with the phenomenal efficiency of the security forces and the inevitability of punishment," says a CEMAAT interlocutor familiar with the algorithm of the propaganda project.

The effect of this activity is not insignificant. Constant “patriotic” propaganda and the desire to be part of a serious force increasingly prompt Crimeans, who have been deceived by propaganda, to report everything to the occupiers - suspicious comments on social media, Ukrainian music played by neighbors, and violations of traditional values in the clothing of colleagues. Some of the informers, in the heat of the moment, begin to report on the occupying authorities. And it does not recommend doing this.

“We had a businesswoman here. From the very beginning, she supported the ‘Russian world’ - flags, ribbons, all that stuff,” a resident of one of the villages in the Simferopol district tells CEMAAT. "She regularly complained to Aksyonov about something. Then the water was cut off in the village, and she started complaining again. But instead of an emergency response team, OMON arrived and took her to Simferopol. Apparently, the district administration had received information that she was pro-Ukraine. Now she's complaining in the basement."