Russia to punish 'fake' war reports with 15 years in prison

Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed bill introducing a prison sentence of up to 15 years for those people spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s narrative on the war in Ukraine

DUSSELDORF, Germany -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill introducing a prison sentence of up to 15 years for those spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s narrative on the war in Ukraine.

The bill criminalizing the intentional spreading of what Russia deems to be “fake” reports about the war was quickly rubber-stamped by both houses of the Kremlin-controlled parliament earlier in the day.

Russian authorities have repeatedly decried reports of Russian military setbacks or civilian deaths in Ukraine as “fake” news. State media outlets refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation” rather than a “war” or an “invasion.”

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the lower house of Russian parliament, said the new measure "will force those who lied and made statements discrediting our armed forces to bear very grave punishment.”