treason penalties tighten to life imprisonment
The lower house of parliament approved amendments that raise the upper limit for treason to life imprisonment under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Current law provides a prison term ranging from 12 to 20 years and a fine of up to 500,000 rubles for treason-related offenses.
Treason encompasses acts such as espionage, revealing state secrets to foreign powers, defecting to an enemy, or assisting activities aimed at harming the Russian Federation. Parole can be granted after 25 years of exemplary conduct in life sentences.
The bill also modifies Article 205, known as the Terrorist Act. The maximum penalty for acts that threaten lives and aim to destabilize the country rises from 15 to 20 years. For aiding terrorist activities under Article 205.1, the maximum penalty remains 15 years in prison.
For acts defined as international terrorism under Article 361, penalties shift from a range of 10 to 20 years or life to a new spectrum of 12 years to life imprisonment.
During a meeting with a major news agency, a senior senator indicated that the Federation Council would review the proposal on a specified date, with possible consideration if the State Duma approves. The senator expressed support for the changes.
The bill was introduced by the chair of the State Duma Security Committee, who led a group of deputies in presenting the measure following a high-profile terrorist incident in St. Petersburg earlier this year.
Officials noted on social channels that the increased maximum penalties for treason and terrorism would allow sentences to be served in specially designated security institutions.
deprivation of citizenship
In a separate move, the Duma adopted amendments to Article 24 of the Law on Citizenship, proposing the deprivation of acquired citizenship for a set of crimes including discrediting the army, extremist calls, desertion, attacks on the life of a statesman, attempts to forcibly change Russia’s constitutional order, and incitements to violent acts.
Additionally, the law would reduce the requirements for obtaining Russian citizenship for more than 20 categories of individuals and allow the president to adjust the list of conditions for simplified acquisition.
In late 2022, the president proposed deprivation of acquired citizenship for acts that threaten national security, including defamation and fraud against the military, calls to violate territorial integrity, and participation in undesirable organizations. Under current law, citizenship could be revoked only if the naturalized person consents to it unless other grounds apply; however, provisions tied to terrorism and related offenses can lead to revocation when false documents or information were used in naturalization and when other crimes such as extremism or rebellion occur.
foreign agents
Parliamentary investigators prepared amendments to the law on foreign agents. The head of the commission stated that foreign agents could be barred from receiving property support from the state in addition to financial aid and subsidies for small and medium-sized businesses. The proposed changes empower the Department of Justice to oversee compliance with foreign agent laws and to monitor activities, with the authority to issue warnings and set deadlines for correction if violations are detected. Failure to comply could result in fines for individuals, officials, or legal entities, with escalating penalties for continued violations.