Contents tagged with Duma

  • Russia wants to check on activities of 'Radio Liberty' and 'Voice of America'

    Konstantin Zatulin, the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma for the CIS, has asked the State Duma to check that the activities of “Radio Liberty” and “Voice of America” are in compliance with Russian law, as reported by Interfax news agency.

    "I propose that we give official instruction to the Information Policy Committee to check that the activities of companies such as “Radio Liberty” and “Voice of America”, which have Russian service, are in compliance with the …

  • Russian State Duma has adopted a law on decriminalization of domestic violence

    On January 27, the State Duma of Russia passed a law on the decriminalization of domestic violence on the third and final reading. 380 deputies voted for and only three opposed it.

    According to the bill, one-time blows inflicted by close relatives are no longer criminal offenses, but will now be administrative offenses. Criminal responsibility will only ensue from repeated beatings. Supporters of these changes in the legislation believe that they will protect traditional family values. …

  • Former Russian Communist Duma deputy testified against Yanukovych

    The Former State Duma deputy of the Communist Party, Denis Voronenkov, testified against the former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.

    In his testimony, Voronenkov partially confirmed information that was provided by another former State Duma deputy, Ilya Ponomarev.

    The interlocutor of the publication reported that Voronenkov took the initiative and contacted the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, …

  • Switzerland imposed sanctions against Russian deputies elected in the Crimea

    Switzerland has expanded its list of people who will not be able to bypass the US and EU sanctions imposed because of aggression by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, according to the Swiss state secretariat for economic affairs.

    The names of six people who were recently elected as deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the Crimea and Sevastopol were added to the list.

    “On November 17, 2016, the Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research (EAER) amended the list …

  • Russian State Duma proposes a ban on foreign education for children of state officials

    The draft law prohibiting children of state officials to study abroad has been submitted for consideration to the State Duma (Russian parliament), as reported by Rosbalt. If the draft law is adopted in the State Duma, under-age children of separate officials and public, civil and municipal servants will not be allowed to study abroad.

    An exception will be made for cases where parents have been working abroad for more than a year, as the explanatory note to the project states. The author of the …

  • The US imposed sanctions against six Duma deputies in the Crimea

    The United States imposed sanctions against Russian State Duma Deputies who were elected in the annexed Crimea, as reported on the website of the US Treasury.

    The sanctions list indicates the names of six Crimean Deputies: Ruslan Balbek, Dmitry Belik, Ruslan Baharev, Svetlana Savchenko, Andrei Kozenko, and Pavel Shperov.

    On November 9th, the European Union included the Deputies elected in the occupied Crimea to the State Duma on the anti-Russian sanctions list. At September's parliamentary …

  • Duma Deputy Kobzon: Crimea is a burden for Russia

    People’s Artist of the USSR and Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Joseph Kobzon called the Crimea an unbearable burden for Russia at a meeting with journalists in Chita, NEWS.ru reported.

    “We have taken on an unbearable burden – the Crimea. It is a native Russian territory but we fund it from our poor Russian budget. This seriously affects sectors like health care, education, culture and other important sectors,” the State Duma deputy from Zabaykalsky Krai stated. The artist …

  • Russian State Duma considering draft to 'rigorously punish' those who insult the President

    A bill is currently being drafted in the Russian State Duma "On protection of honor and dignity of the President of Russia". According to Izvestiya, the initiative was taken by LDPR Duma Deputy Roman Khudyakov.

    Today, insults against any Russian official, including the President of the country, are included in the Common Article 319 of the Criminal Code (Insulting the authorities). The article imposes various penalties up to 1 year of correctional labor. The Deputy proposed to elaborate a …

  • Duma Deputy seeks to expand Putin's power

    Duma state deputy Yevgeny Fyodorov offered to grant Russian President Vladimir Putin emergency powers, he stated in an interview with Sobesednick news.

    "We are experiencing an external aggression, a geopolitical war. Naturally, the importance of the role of the Commander in Chief in a time of a war rises sharply. And today, in my opinion, the head of state, Putin should be granted extraordinary powers for a while. For example, it can last until 2018. This has to happen in order for us to beat …

  • Duma deputy proposes ban on foreign currency transactions

    A member of the State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Ivan Sukharev, has proposed prohibiting any foreign currency transactions within the territory of Russia.  In his opinion, this will help to strengthen the Russian Ruble, according to the newspaper Izvestia.

    The MP has already prepared the bill indicating which foreign currency transactions (both cash and non-cash) will be banned for residents within the territory of Russia.  Sukharev proposes to ban payments in …