Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill on confiscation of property for "fakes about the Russian army" and crimes against state security.
What is known about Putin's new bill regarding the Russian army
The bill amends the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and expands the list of crimes for which confiscation of property can be provided.
Now such a punishment can be imposed for public dissemination of "false information" about the Russian Armed Forces and the execution of their powers by state bodies (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), as well as for public calls for activities directed against the security of the state (Article 280.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). It is specified that these are crimes committed with selfish motives.
At the same time, as follows from the document, not all the money, valuables or other property of the person convicted under the specified articles will be subject to confiscation, but only those that were obtained as a result of a crime or used for activities aimed against the security of Russia.
The document states that activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation mean the commission of at least one of the crimes provided for, in particular, by the articles of the Criminal Code of Russia on mercenary, genocide, desertion, failure to comply with an order, receiving or giving a bribe, and banditry.
In total, this list contains more than 30 articles.
In addition, according to the bill, the list of articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, under which convicts will be deprived of special, military or honorary titles, class ranks and state awards, is being expanded.
These include, in particular, articles related to the spread of "fakes about the Russian army", its discrediting, calls to extremism, violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, activities directed against the security of the state, calls for the introduction of sanctions against Russia and its citizens, the rehabilitation of Nazism and facilitating the implementation of decisions of international organizations in which the Russian Federation does not participate, or of foreign state bodies.
What has preceded it
On March 4, 2022, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted a bill on criminal liability for "fakes about the actions of the Russian army." In the evening of the same day, the President of the country, Vladimir Putin, signed the document.
For false reports, they decided to fine from 700 thousand to 1.5 million rubles, or up to three years in prison.
A fine of 3 to 5 million rubles or 5 to 10 years in prison for fakes created by officials for the purpose of "artificially creating evidence or motivated by hatred."
For knowingly false fakes that caused serious consequences, from 10 to 15 years in prison.
