MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. The Russian government has submitted a bill to the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, making sabotage at nuclear facilities and potentially hazardous biological facilities punishable with life imprisonment.
The document, uploaded to the parliament’s electronic database on Thursday, amends Article 281 (Sabotage) of the Russian Criminal Code to say that "a blast, arson or other actions" aimed at damaging "nuclear facilities, potentially hazardous biological facilities or involving the use of nuclear materials, radioactive substances or sources of radioactivity" will carry a punishment of between 15 and 20 years in jail, with life imprisonment also being an option.
The bill’s authors note that at present, Russia’s security and defense may be jeopardized "not only by explosions and arson that damage infrastructure objects," but also by the "deliberate incapacitation of the working population, contamination of livestock and agricultural plants, as well as by damaging or obliterating other components of the natural environment."
In this regard, the authors of the initiative suggest the introduction of tougher penalties for such acts.