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Russian Duma Sets Second Reading for Bill to Toughen Penalties for Sabotage and Terror Offenses

Lawmakers present the proposal as a child‑protection step against online recruitment of teenagers.

Overview

  • Deputies will take up the legislation in a second reading on November 11 after broad sponsorship by 419 members, including faction leaders.
  • The draft introduces punishment up to life imprisonment for persuading, recruiting, or involving minors in sabotage or terrorist activity.
  • Penalties for involving minors include 10 to 20 years in prison and fines of 500,000 to 1,000,000 rubles, with life terms also possible.
  • The bill lowers the age of criminal responsibility to 14 for specified serious offenses such as sabotage, aiding terrorist activity, and organizing or joining related groups.
  • Procedural changes would abolish statutes of limitations for sabotage crimes, bar suspended sentences and below‑minimum punishments for certain offenses, and require serving 75% of a term before eligibility for early release.