Russian lawmakers have approved legislation that could see people put behind bars for up to 15 years if found guilty of peddling so-called false information about the actions of the army, amid Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
On Friday, the lower chamber of Russia’s parliament voted to introduce the law to heavily penalize citizens spreading fake allegations against the country’s armed forces.
The chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, weighed in on the move, insisting that it is needed “to protect our soldiers, officers, in order to protect the truth.”
“Literally by tomorrow, this law will force punishment – and very tough punishment – on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces,” he asserted.