On Friday, Russian lawmakers proposed to increase the punishment for people convicted of terrorism and sabotage, domestic news agencies reported. According to officials, this step was caused by the war in Ukraine.

The maximum term of punishment for committing a “terrorist act”, which is defined as an act that poses a threat to human life and is aimed at destabilizing Russia, will be increased to 20 years from the current 15 years.

Those convicted of sabotage could also be jailed for 20 years instead of 15 years, while those convicted of “international terrorism” could face life in prison instead of 12 years.

The proposed changes were presented by Vasyl Piskaryev, head of the Committee on Security and Combating Corruption in the State Duma (the lower house of the parliament).

Earlier this week, the TASS news agency quoted him as saying that tougher measures were necessary to protect against what he said were unprecedented threats to Russia from Ukraine and its Western sponsors.

President Volodymyr Putin and other senior officials regularly accuse Ukraine and the West of seeking to undermine and dismantle Russia. The authorities have been suppressing dissent since the start of the war in February 2022.

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