Russian deputies voted on Tuesday a text punishing heavy prison sentences for “discrediting” armed groups like Wagner, a measure already in force concerning the Russian army and which serves to repress critics of the offensive in Ukraine.
The criminal sanctions punishing “the fact of discrediting the armed forces of Russia are extended to the formations of volunteers, organizations and natural persons who provide assistance to the armed forces to carry out their mission”, indicated the Duma, the lower house of the Parliament, on its website.
“All those who today risk their lives to ensure the security of the country and citizens are protected from provocations and lies” with this law, estimated the president of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, specifying that the “sanctions will be heavy, up to 15 years of deprivation of liberty”.
Private armed groups are at the heart of Russia’s military posture in Ukraine. The Wagner group, which notably recruited massively in Russian prisons, is thus leading the charge in Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
But Wagner, who acts with a fairly large autonomy in the field, maintains tense relations with the general staff and the Ministry of Defense, accusing them of incompetence or even treason due to the lack of supply of ammunition from artillery.
This private armed group, led by Evguéni Prigojine, is also present on other continents, in particular in Africa, for, according to its detractors, carrying out the base works of the Kremlin there.
Shortly after the start of its offensive against Ukraine, Russia introduced a series of criminal sanctions to suppress any form of criticism of the military.
Renowned opponents and ordinary citizens have been arrested, and some have already been tried and sentenced for their criticisms, like Ilia Iachine, sentenced in December to eight and a half years in prison.
Another Russian opposition figure, Vladimir Kara-Mourza, has been on trial since Monday and faces up to 25 years in prison. He is accused of high treason and of spreading “false information” about the army.