Overview
- Russia’s upper chamber approved legislation that would take effect the day it is signed, with the Kremlin now set to consider the measure.
- The law allows life imprisonment for recruiting or involving minors in sabotage or terrorism and sets penalties of 10–20 years plus fines for such offenses.
- Criminal liability is lowered to age 14 for a range of sabotage- and terrorism‑related crimes, including diversion, training, and participation in related communities.
- The measure abolishes statutes of limitations for sabotage crimes, bars suspended sentences for participation in a sabotage community, requires serving at least 75% of a term for parole, and blocks sentences below statutory minimums.
- The bill was co-authored by 419 deputies and justified as a security step as officials cite online recruitment of youths, while rights groups report hundreds of sabotage cases, including against teenagers, and allege provocations by security services.