A bill ratified by the Duma provides up to 15 years in prison for those who publicize criticism of “volunteers” fighting in the Ukrainian war, such as members of the Wagner group. Russian lawmakers approved on Tuesday (14/03) a law providing up to 15 years in prison for anyone who criticizes mercenaries fighting the war in Ukraine, such as the Wagner group.
“All those who risk their lives today to ensure the safety of the country and its citizens are protected from provocations and lies” with the new law, said the president of the Duma (lower house of parliament), Vyacheslav Volodin.
The legislation was passed despite the fact that it was illegal to serve as a mercenary in Russia. The term used in the bill is “volunteers”. The bill should pass without major difficulties in the upper house of Parliament and then receive the signature of Russian President Vladimir Putin to become law.
Prigozhin’s request
The text satisfies a request from the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. In January he asked Parliament to eliminate the negative media coverage of his “volunteers”. Volodin said at the time that he supported the idea.
The Wagner Group has close ties to the Kremlin and has recruited thousands of mercenaries from Russian prisons. The group leads the charge into Bakhmut, the current epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine.
In recent weeks, the Wagner Group, which operates with great autonomy on the ground, has maintained tense relations with the Russian Defense Ministry, which it accuses of incompetence or even treason due to lack of supplies of artillery ammunition.
Since military “defamation” laws were passed at the start of Ukraine’s war, more than 5,800 people have been accused of bringing the military into disrepute, according to a survey by human rights group OVD-Info.
as/md (Lusa, AFP, Reuters)
Source: Terra
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