Putin signs bill instituting criminal liability for fake reports regarding Russian Armed Forces' actions

MOSCOW. March 4 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill instituting criminal liability for the public dissemination of knowingly false information concerning the use of the Russian Armed Forces as truthful reports, the Kremlin website said.

"The federal law institutes criminal liability for public dissemination of knowingly false information regarding the use of the Russian Armed Forces for protecting Russia's interests and citizens and maintaining international peace and security as truthful reports," it said.

The law also criminalizes public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Russian Armed Forces for protecting Russia's interests and citizens, for maintaining international peace and security, including for public calls for obstructing the use of the Russian Armed Forces for said purposes, committed by a person after being held administratively liable for an analogous deed within one year.

"In line with the federal law, criminal liability also arises for calls on a foreign state, an association of states, and (or) alliance, and (or) a state (inter-state) institution of a foreign state, or a state association, and (or) an alliance to apply restrictive measures in the form of imposing or extending political or economic sanctions on the Russian Federation, citizens of the Russian Federation, or Russian legal entities, committed by a citizen of the Russian Federation after being held administratively liable for an analogous deed within one year," it said.