MOSCOW, November 13 (RAPSI) – Citing the importance of protecting Russian citizens from “the American debt pyramid,” Russian lawmakers from the LDPR Party have submitted to the Russian State Duma a draft bill proposing restrictions on the ownership and circulation of US dollars.

The bill was sponsored by Mikhail Degtyarev, a recent Moscow mayoral hopeful.

The bill proposes setting up a timeframe during which the citizens who own the American currency must spend it, or exchange for rubles or another currency. After that, the banks would have to sell their dollars.

Citizens who keep their cash in US dollars would have to get rid of them if the bill were passed. The bill does not specify a special procedure for seizure of dollar-based assets, but such cash could be seized during inspections by police, tax or customs officials. The bill proposes that over a 30-day period, the dollars will be sold and the sum gained would be returned to the owners.

“The proposed restrictions can be treated as a declaration of a start of a new, dollarless, international currency system, giving the status of the world’s reserve currency to the Russian ruble, and eliminating the resident banks’ dependency on the American dollars,” the memo attached to the bill reads.

“The imposed restrictions on the operations and the circulation of the US dollars will be an important step in protecting Russian’s citizens from the negative influence of the American debt pyramid,” the memo explains.

The Liberal Democratic Party, the political vehicle of veteran populist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, is known for its extravagant slogans and campaign stunts.  Degtyarev, 32, earlier made headlines with his proposals to confiscate apartments from excessively noisy owners, and give women two days off work a month during menstruation.

During his run for Moscow Mayor, Degtyarev declared that Russia will spearhead the fight for the forces of Good in the coming Armdgeddon.  “I believe that we’ll defeat the Antichrist – I’m sure of it – and that Russia will lead the fight against the Antichrist,” said Degtyarev, who is deputy head of the science and technology committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament.