Some time ago, I argued that when the Russian state designates both “Meduza” and the Armed Forces of Ukraine as extremist organizations, it is effectively equating donations to one with donations to the other. If a Russian citizen can land themselves a criminal charge by sending five dollars to journalists with a critical view, then that law will no longer deter them from also funding a foreign army.
The Russian government draws a very clear line between “friends” and “enemies”; being “somewhere in the middle” has long stopped being an option. Recently, there was news about blocking calls in WhatsApp and Telegram, to which Meta responded that it would fight against call blocking in Russia. And note: Meta is itself an extremist organization there. It has no reason left to cooperate with the Russian state — meaning it can respond to call blocking in whatever way benefits its business. And what benefits its business is fighting the block. If, for example, Meta could still fully earn money by selling ads in Facebook and Instagram to Russian companies, it might have been far more accommodating.
The concept of justice isn’t some liberal fluff invented to make people feel good. Proportionate punishment also exists so that even criminals still have something to lose. And just to be clear: I don’t agree with who Russia designates as criminals. But here’s the point — by refusing to differentiate, it occasionally deprives itself of further tools of influence.