The chairman of the State Duma commission on investigating foreign interference, head of the security committee Vasily Piskarev stated that the activities of OSINT analysts in the context of the war in Ukraine will be classified as treason.
"The analysis of grants from undesirable organizations revealed a demand from NATO members for the services of Russian relocants in conducting open-source intelligence (OSINT). The customers are primarily interested in the actions of our military within the framework of the special military operation and information on bypassing anti-Russian sanctions," he reported on the State Duma commission's Telegram channel. He then reminded of the recently adopted amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provide for the confiscation of property and imprisonment for up to 5 years for a number of crimes against our country committed for selfish motives, as well as cases of treason charges.
In the context of censorship restrictions, OSINT has become the main tool for obtaining independent information about what is happening on the front. Russia declares such projects as "undesirable" organizations, as was the case with the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT). A case was opened against its founder, Ruslan Leviyev* in 2022 for spreading military "fakes".
* Recognized as a foreign agent in Russia.