The State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation has put forward a recommendation for the Parliamentary Assembly to adopt in the second reading a bill that targets the seizure of property for disseminating false information about the Russian army and for issuing public calls that threaten the security of the state. This update comes as reported by TASS, which outlines the committee’s position and the legislative path ahead.
Central to the committee’s stance is an amendment that clarifies the scope of activities considered dangerous to the security of the Russian Federation. The proposal specifies that actions falling within this domain include those that amount to at least one of the offenses already listed in the country’s criminal code, touching on areas such as mercenary service, genocide, desertion, disobedience, and bribery, as well as banditry. In total, the bill references more than 30 articles of the Russian Criminal Code, highlighting the breadth of conduct deemed unacceptable when it jeopardizes national stability or public order.
The bill’s authors include prominent lawmakers who hold leadership roles in several factions. The list features Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, Deputy Speaker Irina Yarovaya, Vladimir Vasilyev, head of the United Russia faction, Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Communist Party faction, Sergei Mironov, head of the Fair Russia – For Truth faction, and Leonid Slutsky, head of the LDPR faction, among others. Their involvement underscores a broad cross-factional interest in tightening the legal framework around issues perceived as threats to national security and public integrity.
Alexander Zhukov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, stressed that the initiative aims to protect the national interests of Russians and the country as a whole, along with safeguarding the rights and freedoms of citizens, from criminal activities and threats to national security. He noted that lawmakers also intend to consider a separate bill that would extend additional guarantees for civil servants mobilized for military service or who have entered into a military service contract. This indicates an integrated approach to strengthening resilience in both civil and security sectors, ensuring that those serving the state have a robust legal framework backing their roles and responsibilities.
In a related development, Dmitry Peskov, the former press secretary for the Russian President, described public notices connected to these matters as deeply objectionable. His remarks reflect the ongoing tension in public discourse surrounding security measures and the balance between transparency, accountability, and the potential for misinterpretation or misuse of information in sensitive contexts. The response from the presidency and the wider political establishment signals a careful calibration of communications as the legislative process unfolds, with attention to how information can influence perceptions of national security and public safety.