Vladimir Putin is accused of dragging Russia back to 1937 after setting up telephone hotlines and websites for ‘good citizens’ to inform on ‘traitors’ to the state.

The move harks back to similar tactics employed by Soviet-era dictator Joseph Stalin, who used his secret police force – the NKVD – to eliminate anyone who spoke out against the Communist Party…

Would-be informers can also use a dedicated channel on the social media platform Telegram.

A young shop assistant, 22, spent 24 hours in a cell this week after telling a stranger in a Moscow bar that she disagreed with the war in Ukraine.