Putin jailed for 15 years for singing law "fake news" on the army

Moscow:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill punishing up to 15 years in prison for fake news about the Russian military, as Moscow moves forward with its invasion of Ukraine.

The bill, adopted by lawmakers earlier on Friday, sets prison terms of varying lengths and fines against those who publish “intentionally false information” about the military, to be hit when the spread is deemed to have dire consequences. With harsh punishment for.

Putin also signed a bill that would allow a fine or prison sentence of up to three years for seeking sanctions against Russia, with Moscow facing harsher economic penalties from western capitals over the invasion.

The past year has seen an unprecedented crackdown on independent and critical voices in Russia that only intensified after the start of the invasion.

Russia’s media watchdog said on Friday it has restricted access to the BBC and other independent media websites and blocked social media giant Facebook.

Two news outlets said they would stop reporting on Ukraine to protect their journalists, while the BBC announced a halt to its operations in Russia.

Russian media have been instructed to publish only information provided by official sources, which described the invasion as a military operation.

State-controlled broadcasters meanwhile corroborated government narratives about nationalism in Ukraine and Moscow’s claim that Ukrainian soldiers are using civilians as human shields.

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