MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. At the plenary session on Friday the Federation Council has approved legislation ensuring, among other things, the introduction of criminal liability for spreading false information regarding the Russian Armed Forces and their defamation.

To that end, the Russian Criminal Code is updated with new articles - "Public dissemination of deliberately false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation" and "Public acts aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens, maintaining international peace and security."

It is proposed to impose a fine in the amount of 700,000 to 1.5 million rubles or in the amount of a convicted person's salary for a period of one year to eighteen months for the public dissemination under the guise of reliable reports of deliberately false information about the Russian Armed Forces. As an alternative penalty, correctional labor for up to one year, or obligatory labor for up to three years, or imprisonment for the same period may be imposed.