Russians Will Have Their Property Confiscated For Spreading ‘Fakes’ About Russian Army

The State Duma supported the bill in the first reading.

The State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted in the first reading a bill on confiscation of property for “fakes” about the armed forces of the Russian Federation, RIA Novosti reports. 395 deputies voted “for” introducing the corresponding amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, three voted “against”, but their names were not mentioned.

The bill provides for the possibility of confiscation of property, money and valuables from those convicted under a number of criminal articles. In particular, Article 207.3 (spreading fake information about the army), 280 (public calls for extremism), 280.1 (public calls for actions aimed at violating the integrity of the Russian Federation), 280.3 (discrediting the army), 280.4 (public calls), 280.4 (public calls for anti-security activities) and 284.2 (calls for sanctions).

The bill also envisages the deprivation of honorary, military and special ranks and state awards from those who are convicted under the same articles. The authors of the initiative were deputies from United Russia Irina Yarovaya, Vasily Piskarev and Elena Yampolskaya.

After the bill was adopted in the first reading, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that “measures to combat scoundrels were not enough.” “The decision taken should stop those who commit crimes against the security of our country, who consider it possible to insult our citizens, soldiers, officers, and support the Nazis,” Volodin wrote in his Telegram channel.

Before the vote, some State Duma deputies called the bill “crude and illegal,” but nevertheless, the lower house of parliament will accept it because the Kremlin insists on it, three sources among parliamentarians told Vestka.

According to them, the initiative is directed against traditionally persecuted representatives of society — opposition journalists and activists. Work on the adoption of the bill is proceeding quickly, “so that it can be used before the elections [of the President of the Russian Federation] and the post-election period,” said one of the publication’s interlocutors.

At the same time, some deputies believe that confiscation of property for violation of articles that are not fraudulent and economic is a bad idea. The courts will abuse the new rules, one of the deputies believes. “There is one hope: that we can introduce something, somehow correct it, for the second reading,” he concluded.