Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into effect a law that empowers authorities to seize assets from individuals who oppose the Kremlin’s military actions in Ukraine.
Since Moscow’s deployment of troops to Ukraine in February 2022, dissent against its ongoing offensive has been prohibited, with severe penalties imposed on critics. This newly ratified legislation enables the confiscation of finances, properties, and other assets belonging to those who voice opposition to the military campaign.
The law’s jurisdiction extends even to Russian dissidents residing abroad who may still possess assets within the country.
Despite concerns about potential abuse, the Kremlin has insisted that the law does not echo the confiscations of the Soviet era and has dismissed fears of its misuse as unfounded.
“Together with you, we will have the opportunity to evaluate the enforcement of the law in practice,” AFP quoted spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling reporters on Wednesday. He emphasized that expressing concerns beforehand would be “groundless.”
Putin’s endorsement of the document comes two weeks after Russia’s parliament, the Duma, gave its approval to the bill.
Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated last month that the law is aimed at targeting “scoundrels and traitors, those who today spit on the backs of our soldiers, who have betrayed their homeland.”
Moscow frequently labels the hundreds of thousands of Russians who left their country in protest against the military campaign as traitors.
The law takes effect just before the second anniversary of the Ukraine offensive and a month before Russia’s presidential election.
