Putin signs law making wartime punishments more severe

94
1
Putin signs law making wartime punishments more severe

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed several amendments to the country's criminal code today, making wartime punishments more severe for various offenses.

Under the amendments that were published Saturday on the government's legal portal, crimes such as refusing to follow the orders of a senior officer during wartime, during an armed conflict or combat operations or refusing to participate in military or combat operations during such times can result in jail terms of up to 10 years.

After at least two-thirds of the imprisonment term has been served, punishment for those sentenced to imprisonment for committing particularly grave crimes can now be replaced by forced labor or other milder type of punishment, according to the Kremlin statement.

The Russian president also signed a law that punishes the breach of a state contract in the field of state defense, especially if the violation caused damage to the state in the amount of 5 million rubles about $86,000 and at least 5% of the contract price.

Exemption from punishment is possible if violations are voluntarily eliminated, according to the Kremlin statement.

In the wake of Ukraine's successful counter-offensive this month, Putin and Russian authorities have taken a series of measures to bolster the country's military and clamp down on dissent at home.

A total of 300,000 reservists have been called into military service in what Putin calls a partial mobilization. Since the announcement, nearly 1,500 anti-war protesters have been detained in cities across Russia, with some directly being drafted into the military, according to a monitoring group. The punishment in Russia for refusing the draft is now 15 years in jail.