Russia to crack down on criticism of armed groups like Wagner
They were discussed in early March. The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, today adopted a amendment punishing critics against groups of “volunteers” fighter in Ukraine. This term is regularly used by the Russian authorities to describe the mercenaries of the paramilitary group Wagner, very active on the front in eastern Ukraine.
The penal sanctions punishing “the act of discrediting the armed forces of Russia is extended to volunteer formations, organizations and individuals who provide assistance to the armed forces to carry out their mission”announced the Duma on its website. “All those who today risk their lives to ensure the security of the country and its citizens are protected from provocations and lies” with this law, estimated the president of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, specifying that the “Sanctions will be heavy, up to fifteen years of deprivation of liberty”.
This amendment, which still needs to be approved by the Upper House (Council of the Federation) and signed into law by Vladimir Putin, would add to legislation passed shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, censoring criticism against armed forces. After years of denying its existence, Russian authorities now fully recognize Wagner’s soldiers, currently on the front line in the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmout.
In January, the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, asked parliament to ban negative publications about the paramilitary group in the media by modifying the penal code, a request quickly accepted by the speaker of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin.
The Russian prosecutor’s office has already opened more than 5,800 cases against people accused of discrediting the armed forces, according to the human rights group OVD-Info.