The Revival of Soviet-Era Denunciations in Putin’s Russia and Its Lessons for Contemporary Europe

Studio Central and Eastern Europe

This podcast is an edited recording of the conversation, in which we explored the resurgence of Soviet-era citizen denunciations in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, a practice once central to Stalinist repression. Russian anthropologist Alexandra Arkhipova, who both studied and experienced this phenomenon, shared how she was reported to authorities seven times by a stranger and how it took her two years to uncover the person behind the reports. Forced into exile, she discussed the mechanisms driving individuals to collaborate with authoritarian regimes.

Hosted by historian Albena Shkodrova, the discussion also examined how the resurgence of denunciations in Russia echoes their role in the communist regimes of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Historian Nico Wouters provided further historical context, drawing parallels between today’s Russia and mid-20th-century Europe. He noted that in the years leading up to and during the Second World War, many European societies lost faith in democracy’s ability to address their problems, turning instead to autocratic rule. This erosion of democratic confidence, he warned, was a deeply troubling parallel to the present, though he also emphasized Europe’s greater resilience today due to its strong democratic and human rights institutions.

Dr. Arkhipova, now a Visiting Professor at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, has researched political folklore, rumors, and Russian societal narratives. She also runs a widely followed blog analyzing social and political events in Russia. After being designated a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities following the invasion of Ukraine, she was stripped of her ability to work in Russia and forced into exile.

Nico Wouters is a Belgian historian. He is the head of the Centre for War and Contemporary Society at the Belgian State Archives and has authored a monograph on the collaboration of mayors and other public servants in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands with the Nazi occupiers during the Second World War.

The podcast was recorded during the discussion organized by the Forum on Central and Eastern Europe of KU Leuven on 11 February 2025.