Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a law which would allow the government to confiscate the assets of anyone convicted of spreading “deliberately false information” about the military.
Other crimes which could lead to seizure of assets include desertion, failure to comply with orders, “public calls aimed against the security of the Russian state,” collaborating to implement decisions by international organizations that Russia does not recognise, the “rehabilitation of Nazism, ” or even participation in ‘undesirable’ organizations.
Scoundrels and Traitors
The bill was introduced and passed by the Duma in late January and then cleared the upper house before it came to Putin to sign. At the time, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said it targets “scoundrels and traitors, those who today spit on the backs of our soldiers, who have betrayed their homeland”. and would “strip those scoundrels of honorary titles, confiscate their assets, money and other valuables.”
‘Die like a Dog’
Soon after the bill cleared the lower house, Russian MP Andrey Lugovoy, in a clear warning for exiled critics of the government, said that “anyone who tries to harm their homeland, country and citizens will lose everything and die beyond the borders of our country, like a dog.”
Insisting that besides losing their property they should also face jail terms, Lugovoy, a former KGB agent, said: “Sitting there, having fled the country, is, of course, easy and pleasant. They live on the money that comes to them from Russia. But we will not allow this situation.”
An earlier law against “discrediting” the military, justifying terrorism, or spreading fake news about the military was introduced soon after Russia’s invasion of February 2022, and it was reportedly used against critics of the government including activists, bloggers and opposition politicians.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, however, said fears that the new law – introduced just ahead of the second anniversary of the Ukraine offensive as well as presidential elections scheduled for March — could be misused were “groundless”.
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‘Putin Has Won But After 23 Years At The Top, He Does Not Lack Enemies’
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