Russia adopts new measures to counter internal security threats

New Delhi, Dec 21: Russia has announced a string of new measures to counter extremism and protect the country from terrorist and sabotage threats amid intensifying conflict in Ukraine.

The State Duma on Tuesday adopted a bill under which citizens will face a fine of up to 1 million Rubles, or arrest, for distribution of cards that challenge the integrity of Russia.

"In accordance with the amendments, cartographic and other documents and images intended for distribution and public demonstration that dispute the territorial integrity of Russia will also be classified as extremist materials," announced the Russian Parliament.

The Vladimir Putin government took the step after it found recently that maps and other images are being distributed which show certain Russian-controlled territories as disputed.

In another block of bills adopted by deputies of the State Duma at the plenary session, a preventive measure up to life imprisonment was proposed as punishment for saboteurs.

It noted that, given that Russia is conducting a special military operation and at the same time accepting refugees, the country remains open for the entry and exit of foreign citizens.

Amendments are proposed to be made to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, establishing criminal liability for facilitating sabotage activities, involvement, appeals and inducement to finance acts of sabotage. It is also planned to make training in acts of sabotage and the creation of all kinds of criminal communities for the purpose of committing sabotage criminally punishable.

The creation of a subversive community will also be punishable by life imprisonment. For participation in such a community, up to 10 years in prison will be threatened, and for complicity in committing sabotage - from 10 to 20 years.

"The punishment for saboteurs will be as severe as possible," said Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin.

A number of bills aimed at integrating the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson into the Russian legal field were also introduced in the Russian Parliament on Tuesday.

It included adopting a law on a special procedure for enforcement proceedings in the new territories and also several proposals to give Moscow the authority to establish the specifics of planning and implementation in 2023-2025 of procurement to meet the state needs of the new territories.

"For us, the priority in our work is to form in the shortest possible time a common legal field with the regions that have made their choice to live with us and be part of Russia. Let's do our best for this," commented Volodin on the consideration of the draft laws.

"For quite a long time, we have been solving this problem in relation to the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol - it took about five years. In this case, let's finish this work next year," he added.