On 2 March 2023, the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) voted legal amendments in second reading aiming to further toughen existing laws prohibiting so-called “fake news” and “discreditation” of the Russian army. If enacted, the law would expand the list of entities it will be illegal to “discredit”. Aside from the regular Russian military, this will now include all Russian officials abroad, as well as all military units which “contribute to carrying out the tasks attributed to the Russian Armed Forces”, according to the draft text quoted by MediaZone, an independent Russian online media. This would include, for instance, members of Wagner and other private military companies deployed by Russia in its war in Ukraine.
If enacted, the law would also increase penalties for those found guilty of “discrediting” Russian officials or publishing “fake news” about the war, with the maximum sentence foreseen by articles 207.3.1 and 280.3.1 of the Russian criminal code increasing from three to five years of prison. The length of possible sentences is not the only aspect the bill would change, explained Pavel Chikov, lawyer and head of the Russian human rights group Agora: “This lets [authorities] arrest suspects and increases the limitation period [for breaches] to six years”, he said.
Russia first adopted laws forbidding so-called “fake news” and “discreditation” of the Russian army in March 2022, days after the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Currently, Russian legislation foresees heavy fines and up to 15 years of prison for those found to have published “fake news” about the Russian army, interpreted as any information on activities of the military in Ukraine not confirmed by the Russian government, such as alleged cases of war crimes. Several journalists and activists have since been sentenced to prison for social media publications denouncing events such as the mass killing of civilians in Bucha.