Russia
Putin approves “law against rogues”: War critics can be dispossessed
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to expropriate war critics in the future
© Sergei Guneyev / Pool Sputnik Kremlin / AP / DPA
The Kremlin has long had a solution for Russia critics in the country. Anyone who questions the war in Ukraine must go to prison. But what to do with critics in exile? A new law has now cleared the final hurdle for them.
A month before Russia’s presidential election, President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing authorities to confiscate money and property from convicted critics of the Russian army. Kremlin critics living in exile who still have property in their homeland could also be affected.
The corresponding decree was published on Wednesday in the Russian law database and states that possession caused by spreading alleged false information about the Russian army or calls to endanger national security of Russia would be confiscated. How the law will be applied in practice is still unclear. “We believe that expressing any concerns a priori is unfounded,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov about possible criticism.
According to the Kremlin, the law has “absolutely” nothing to do with Soviet-style confiscations. Peskov dismissed concerns about possible abuse as “unfounded.” “Together with you, we will have the opportunity to evaluate the enforcement of the law in practice,” he told reporters on Wednesday, explicitly denying that it was a new edition of the Soviet law on confiscating the property of enemies of the people.
Especially in the era of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, hundreds of thousands of Russians were declared enemies of the people, dispossessed and locked in camps – or killed.
According to State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, the law is aimed at “scoundrels and traitors who today spit on the backs of our soldiers and who have betrayed their homeland.” Volodin said last month that the punishment of up to 15 years in prison for spreading “false information” about the army was not enough.
Punishment for Russia critics in exile
In order to prevent criticism of the invasion, the alleged spread of false reports about the Russian army is punished with long prison sentences. Moscow has therefore already imprisoned numerous opponents of the conflict. Under current laws, information about the offensive in Ukraine that does not come from an official government source can be classified as “false” and disseminating it is a criminal offense. This could result in up to 15 years in prison.
Since the Russian war of aggression began on February 24, 2022, hundreds of thousands of Russians have left their homes. Many celebrities from abroad criticize Putin and his war. Because they cannot be punished with imprisonment in a camp, there has been a long-standing discussion in Russia about how the judiciary can still prosecute these citizens. The law on the expropriation of war opponents was introduced into parliament at the beginning of the year and passed unanimously in the lower and upper houses, the State Duma and the Federation Council. Duma leader Volodin described it as a “law against lumpens.”