Putin orders block on calls from 'unfriendly nations'
Vladimir Putin has ordered the development of a system to block phone calls from "unfriendly countries", including Ukraine. The President of Russia wishes to prevent calls from those he regards as his adversaries. Poland has been on the Kremlin's blacklist since 2022.
Vladimir Putin issued a directive instructing the Ministry of Internal Affairs and security services to develop mechanisms for blocking phone calls from the territory of "Ukraine and other unfriendly countries". The aim is to combat phone scams.
Poland was recognised as an "unfriendly country" in 2022.
The Russian portal RBK reported that residents of Russia are increasingly falling victim to phone scammers. An example is the recent swindle of over 9 million roubles (approximately £79,000) from a well-known ballerina and choreographer. The scammer, posing as an officer of the Federal Security Service, convinced her to transfer the money to an unknown account.
Another case involves an eighth-grade student who, at the end of January, threw a Molotov cocktail into the administrative building of a Moscow housing estate. According to the RBK portal, he was coerced by scammers calling from Ukraine, who also instructed him to take several hundred thousand roubles (about £4,400) and a substantial amount of foreign currency from the family safe.
List of "unfriendly countries" for Russia
On the list of countries recognised by Russia as hostile, in addition to Poland, are: Australia, Albania, Andorra, the United Kingdom, European Union member states, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, San Marino, North Macedonia, Singapore, the United States, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, and Japan.
The Lenta portal reports that phone scammers often use phrases such as "provide SMS code", "safe account", "central bank", "ministry of internal affairs", and "FSB". Vladimir Putin's directive is to be implemented by July this year.