State Duma Moves to Toughen Penalties for Subversive Activities
The State Duma’s State Building and Legislative Committee has advanced proposed laws that would sentence individuals involved in the formation and operation of destructive communities to life behind bars. The initiative was reported by DEA News based on the text of the proposed measures.
According to the committee’s briefing, the lawmakers recommended that the Duma approve the bills at the first reading. The core idea is to treat a subversive community as a premeditated group that plans and executes criminal acts together, with the aim of destabilizing public order or provoking harm. The draft text makes clear that collective wrongdoing of this kind can be treated as a grave offense with severe consequences.
The proposed language outlines penalties including a prison term of fifteen to twenty years accompanied by a fine of up to one million rubles, or, in the most serious cases, life imprisonment. The measures also introduce two new articles into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: one addressing assistance to subversive activities such as recruitment and financing, and another targeting training for destructive purposes. Both new provisions carry the potential for life imprisonment when applied to subversive conduct.
In a related development, the State Duma previously considered legislation aimed at giving authorities stronger tools to block online accounts that are used for subversive purposes. This prior effort reflects the broader push to deter organized wrongdoing through tighter regulation of digital activity.
— DEA News