MOSCOW, April 7 (RAPSI) – President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill on criminal punishment for destruction or damage of war cemeteries and memorials commemorating fallen defenders of the Motherland or devoted to the Days of War Glory of Russia into law, according to the official website of legal information.

Amendements are to be introduced into the Criminal Code.

Fines of up to 5 million rubles (about $64,000) or imprisonment for up to 5 years are set as punishment for these damaging or destruction of war graves, monuments, steles, obeliscs and other memorial objects built in the memory of fallen defenders of the Motherland, according to the law.

The State Duma adopted the initiative on March 31; the Federation Council approved it on April 2.