Administrative liability for foreign agents is being strengthened

Members of the State Duma have passed in the second and third readings amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which provide for increased liability for violating the labeling of materials produced or distributed by foreign agents.

The fine for citizens will range from 30,000 to 50,000 rubles (currently 10,000–30,000 rubles). Officials will pay between 100,000 and 300,000 rubles, and legal entities between 300,000 rubles and half a million rubles.

In addition, according to the law, a person who commits an administrative offense provided for, inter alia, in Article 19.34 “Violation of the procedure for the activities of a foreign agent” of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation outside the Russian Federation, shall be subject to administrative liability in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in cases where the specified administrative offense is directed against the interests of the Russian Federation, as well as in cases provided for by an international treaty of the Russian Federation, if such a person has not been brought to criminal or administrative liability in a foreign state for the corresponding actions.

“With this bill, we are establishing administrative liability for failure to comply with the requirements of officials to foreign agents. This is very important because they ignore the requirements of officials,” said Vyacheslav Volodin Volodin
Vyacheslav Victorovich The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast) , Chairman of the State Duma, during the plenary session. “Foreign agents are financed from abroad. They do everything to weaken our country and destroy the state. Therefore, we must counteract this.”

He recalled that Russia has one of the most liberal laws regarding foreign agents. “And the punishment is one of the lowest. If we compare the criminal liability of foreign agents for non-compliance with requirements in the United States of America and Australia, it is about 10 years. In our country, criminal liability is half as much — up to five years,” said Vyacheslav Volodin.