MOSCOW, July 16 (RAPSI) – Bills establishing punishments for actions aimed at cession of Russia’s territory and calls for such actions have been submitted to the State Duma, according to a statement of lawmakers representing the United Russia political party in the lower house of Russia’s Parliament.

The documents are authored by co-chairs of the working group on drafting amendments to the national Constitution State Duma deputy Pavel Krasheninnikov and Senator Andrey Klishas.

The respective prohibition is enshrined in the amended Constitution; to set it in effect it is proposed to amend a number of Codes and laws of the Russian Federation; the bills have been already positively assessed by the Government and the Supreme Court, the statement reads.

The bills are to introduce administrative responsibility for first time offenders publicly calling for violation of territorial integrity of Russia instead of criminal responsibility for such deeds as currently envisaged; the repeated violations committed within a year are to be criminally prosecuted. Criminal fines are to be increased and set at 200,000 to 400,000 rubles (about $3,000 to $5,500 at the current exchange rate), whereas the imprisonment terms up to 4 years are to be unchanged.

Administrative punishments are to include fines in the range from 30,000 to 60,000 rubles ($425 to $850) for individuals, from 60,000 to 100,000 rubles ($850 to $1,500) for officials, and from 200,000 to 300,000 rubles ($3,000 to $4,200) for corporations. Higher fines are to be applied in cases where public calls were made via mass media outlets, internet, or other means of communications: from 70,000 to 100,000 rubles ($1,000 to $1,500) for individuals, from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles ($1,500 to $3,000) for officials, from 300,000 to 500,000 rubles ($4,200 to $7,000) for corporations. The cases are to be initiated by prosecutor’s offices and heard by district courts.

It is proposed to introduce a criminal punishment for violation of territorial integrity of Russia in the Criminal Code; the respective imprisonment terms are to make from 6 to 10 years.

Krasheninnikov reminded that the State Duma had recently approved in the first reading a package of laws against extremism, which includes certain provisions protecting territorial integrity of Russia.