Russia has no bad intentions towards our neighbours, averred its president Vladimir Putin in a television address on Friday.
“There are no bad intentions towards our neighbours. And I would also advise them not to escalate the situation, not to introduce any restrictions. We fulfill all our obligations and will continue to fulfill them,” said Putin.
“We do not see any need here to aggravate or worsen our relations. And all our actions, if they arise, they always arise solely in response to some unfriendly actions against the Russian Federation. I think that everyone should think about how to normalise relations, and cooperate normally,” Putin emphasised.
President Vladimir Putin was taking part online from his residence outside Moscow, in a flag-raising ceremony for a ferry in northern Russia.
In a bid to crack down on ‘fake news’, Russia’s lower house of Parliament, the State Duma, on Friday, March 4, introduced a bill imposing fines and jail terms as punishment for those who spread false information about the Russian Armed Forces. The bill lays down punishment for citizens who make statements that ‘discredit’ the armed forces or call for sanctions against Moscow.
The Russian Duma has presented a new bill that makes fake news about the Russian military punishable by up to 15 years in prison, state-owned news agency TASS reported. According to State Duma member Maria Butina, the document was adopted unanimously.
In fact, the Parliament has also listed examples of ‘fake information’ that is punishable by its highest term, citing the use of old photos of burned military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that have been photoshopped with markings of the Russian military.
“The explanatory note to the bill states that the Ukrainian media is using footage of the devastation in the Donbass region from 2014-2015 and passing it off as crimes perpetrated by the Russian military in order to create a global negative image of Russia as a ‘bloody aggressor’ and whip up panic in society,” Moscow Times reported.
The bill is likely to come into enforcement as early as tomorrow. It is expected to be sent to the Federation Council and later to Russian President Vladimir Putin for signature.
Hours after BBC reintroduced its shortwave radio station in Ukraine and Russia to ensure that residents in both countries can get news during the invasion, its website has now been blocked in Russia. According to the Russian-owned RIA news agency, the official communications authority Roskomnadzor has limited access to BBC Russia’s online presence, as well as Radio Liberty and the Meduza media outlet.
