On Wednesday, Russia’s top legislator announced he would change wartime censorship legislation to boost the maximum penalty for disparaging the army from five to 15 years, including the Wagner mercenary group.
A year after sending tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine, Russia passed broad censorship rules.
“Discrediting” the army carries a five-year prison penalty while distributing false information about it carries a 15-year punishment.
On Wednesday, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, Russia’s lower chamber of parliament, said his proposals would toughen the legislation and impose a 15-year sentence for both offenses.
“This proposal will safeguard everyone who now is risking their lives to preserve the security of the nation and our population,” Volodin, a close Putin friend, said on Telegram. “Violators face harsh penalties.”
His recommendations include fines of up to five million roubles (approximately $66,580), five years of forced labor, or 15 years in jail.
For the first time, the Wagner mercenary army fighting in Ukraine and other volunteer military organizations will be protected by the law.
Wagner’s creator, Yevgeny Prigozhin, requested a criminal code amendment in January to prevent negative media coverage of his troops, which Volodin supported.
Russian prosecutors have already started more than 5,800 cases against people for undermining the armed forces, the OVD-Info rights organization reports. At the same time, authorities have exploited the rules against distributing false information to dole out severe jail sentences to long-time Kremlin opponents.
Prigozhin, whose soldiers have led Russia’s months-long takeover of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk area, applauded the modifications.
“These reforms will allow us to defend the rights of persons who are defending the country,” he replied to Volodin on Telegram.
Prigozhin, who has frequently feuded with Russia’s military leaders, said the rule should not apply to anyone criticizing military commanders because it was “essential for the open and accountable discharge of their (commanders’) tasks.”
Last month, Prigozhin accused top military leaders of “treason” for depriving his forces of weapons out of personal hostility toward him. However, Prigozhin insisted he obtained enough ammunition, and the defense ministry denied a shortfall.
He said the lower house would study Volodin’s modifications on Thursday and vote on them on March 14.
