Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law criminalizing actions aimed at discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and publicly calling for sanctions against the country. The new rules, published on the official legal information portal, provide for harsh penalties: up to seven years in prison for discrediting the army for a fee, and up to five years for advocating for sanctions. The law, adopted amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and mounting international pressure, is aimed at strengthening domestic stability, but has already sparked heated debate about freedom of speech.

According to the text of the document, criminal liability for discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation occurs in cases where actions are committed publicly and contain knowingly false information that damages the reputation of the army. Discrediting committed for money or for hire, for example, as part of information campaigns financed from abroad, is considered a particularly serious crime. For such acts, those found guilty face a fine of up to 5 million rubles or imprisonment for a term of three to seven years. Public calls for the introduction of sanctions against Russia, its citizens or organizations also become criminally punishable. This is punishable by fines of up to 500 thousand rubles, forced labor or imprisonment for up to five years. The law applies to both Russian citizens and foreigners who have committed such actions on the territory of the country.

The introduction of new regulations was a logical continuation of the amendments adopted in 2022, when discrediting the army was included in the Code of Administrative Offenses. Then, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, over two years, more than 20.3.3 thousand people were held accountable under Article 7 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, mainly for publications on social networks. According to legislators, the transfer of these actions to the category of criminal offenses should strengthen the protection of state interests.