Russia wants to put those who adhere to Western sanctions behind the bars

Monday, 14  March 2022, 22:59

Russian ruling party ‘United Russia’ ("Yedinaya Rossiya’- ed.) is drafting a bill that criminalises compliance with Western sanctions for business entities.

Source: ‘European Pravda’ citing Russian media ‘Kommersant’

Andrei Turchak, the Secretary of the General Council of ‘United Russia’, initiated this draft bill. Some companies have already begun to refuse to work with banks and businesses that have fallen under sanctions, according to him.

"We suggest imposing harsh, specifically criminal, responsibility for those entities, and their leaders, who comply with and implement Western sanctions. The responsibility is for de facto direct assistance to deteriorate the economic situation," he said.

Andrei Turchak claims that such refusals are already widespread in Russia: even partially state owned Russian companies refuse to cooperate with sanctioned enterprises "on the pretext that they risk falling under restrictions."

Other deputies of the Russian State Duma also support this initiative. Andrey Klishas, chairman of the committee of the Federation Council on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, is convinced that this law will definitely pass, according to ‘Kommersant’.

The form and extent of the liability for compliance with Western sanctions is currently unknown. However, the Russian Federation has already established a criminal liability for sanctions pleas: such calls are punished with three years of imprisonment.

Notably, the adoption of such a law could further worsen the business climate in Russia and trigger the last Western companies to finally leave the Russian market.