June 28, 2026

Lost Cat? Call the Duma.


Lost Cat? Call the Duma.
In Russia, the cat loses you. Boris Busorgin / Unsplash

A Russian State Duma meeting on June 24 included a proposal for the creation of a national-level registry of lost and found pets.

The proposal was put forward by deputies in the State Duma. The potential registry would "provide for the posting of information on missing and found animals, as well as search capabilities based on photographs, descriptions, locations, microchips, tattoos, or other identifiers." The goal would be a speedy reunification of wayward animals with their owners, lift a burden from shelters and volunteers, and decrease the number of strays on the streets.

The registry would be housed on the online State Services portal, "Goslugi."

While the initiative is a little goofy (not surprising, given that it's Russia), it's also a part of a larger initiative for centralization in Russia. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, repression in Russia has hit levels unseen since Stalin's time. As a way to counter dissent, the Russian state has begun taking on more and more services, bringing them under the Kremlin as a form of control. Hence moves to create a Russia-specific internet or unified payment QR-code, all brokered from the halls of power in Moscow.

While pet-owner reunification is indeed a noble goal, letting the state do the work is eyebrow-raising.

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