Putin signs bumper package of laws including tougher penalties for ‘discrediting’ military

Vladimir Putin signed a package of 18 new pieces of legislation into law on Monday, including an updated version of the military censorship law introduced shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which toughens the existing penalties for “discrediting the military” and “calling for sanctions” against Russia.

The new law codifies a new criminal offence of “discrediting” the military “for profit or for hire”, and makes it punishable by up to seven years in prison and a 1 million-ruble fine (€10,700). The previous version of the law had only one definition of “discrediting” the military, and was classed as a misdemeanor for first time offenders.

A similar section has been added to the law criminalising calling for sanctions on Russia, with anybody found guilty of doing so “for profit or for hire” now facing a fine of up to 3 million rubles (€32,100) and up to five years in prison.

The new laws also make it possible for the authorities to confiscate the property of those found guilty of “discrediting the military” or profiting from “calling for sanctions”, allowing the government to seize the assets of many activists and politicians now living in exile.

Another law signed by Putin on Monday adds further restrictions to anybody the government has labelled a “foreign agent”, and expands the grounds for being named a “foreign status” to include those who “assist in the implementation of decisions” at international organisations of which Russia is not a member, such as the International Criminal Court, as well as anyone involved in military intelligence gathering.

Of the other new laws signed by Putin, one introduced criminal liability for failing to alert the authorities about a planned act of sabotage, while another grants Russian soldiers who fought to expel occupying Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region earlier this year the same privileges as veterans of the war in Ukraine.