The State Duma amended the Criminal Code. According to them, those who criticize the Russians who went to fight in Ukraine will face up to 15 years in prison, or fines up to 5 million rubles, or in the amount of wages, or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to five years, or correctional or forced up to five years of work. This was stated by the speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin in the Telegram channel.
For the so-called discrediting of the army, criminal terms are given even now, the maximum sentence is five years in prison. The new amendments will also allow those who criticize "volunteer units" to be punished. Given the existence of a criminal article for mercenarism, officials prefer to call fighters of various PMCs volunteers. The most famous group currently fighting in Ukraine as mercenaries is the Wagner PMC. Among its fighters are fighting, including those convicted of various crimes, who were promised freedom in exchange for the likelihood of death at the front.
“Today, together with my colleagues, we submitted amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses on liability for discrediting participants in a special military operation to the State Duma,” writes Volodin. “This legislative initiative will protect everyone who today, risking their lives, ensures the security of the country and our citizens.
Any public dissemination of deliberately false information, as well as public actions aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, volunteer formations, organizations and persons that assist in the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, are unacceptable.
Volodin said that the second reading would take place on Thursday, March 2. In case of support, the third, final reading is on Tuesday, March 14.