MOSCOW, September 25 (RAPSI) – Mikhail Degtyaryov (LDPR), deputy head of the State Duma committee on science, has proposed adding an article to the Criminal Code to introduce penalties, specifically fines of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,500) or up to six months of correctional labor for beggars in military uniforms, Izvestia newspaper reported on Friday.

Degtyaryov said that currently no penalties are stipulated for beggars dressed in military uniforms.

“A serviceman begging for money in the street is a disgrace. It would seem that the authorities and people in general would hurry to help them. But the street mafia has reduced society to a despicable state, with beggars in military uniforms considered part of the urban landscape. This will not do,” the MP said.

The toughest penalty for begging is a prison term of up to four years, but only if underage children are involved.

Degtyaryov has proposed penalties such as large fines or correctional labor for beggars who are dressed in Soviet or Russian military uniforms.