Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a supplement to the Russian Criminal Code on Dec. 29 that allows Russian authorities to sentence Russians to up to life imprisonment for “assistance to subversive activities,” the Institute for the Study of War reported. Other pretexts to criminal prosecution include “undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out sabotage activities” and for “organizing a sabotage community” and will carry between 5- and 10-years imprisonment for “participation in such a community.”
Putin also signed a law enabling Russian authorities to sentence any private citizen who “desecrates” the ribbon of Saint George (a prominent Russian military symbol especially associated with the war in Ukraine) with up to three years imprisonment or a fine of up to three million rubles ($40,541).
“These laws follow a sequence of Russian policies targeting what remains of the Russian opposition and enhancing Kremlin control of Russia’s already-limited information space under the guise of preventing Russians from “discrediting” the military,” the ISW found.
