Russia mulls new punishment for ‘Nazi propagandists’

Russia could introduce new punishments for anyone promoting extremist ideologies in the country, including neo-Nazism, TASS reported on Wednesday. If approved, the new measures would include mandatory community service for offenders.    

Russian law treats public displays of Nazi and similar symbology as well as their production and distribution as misdemeanors. Violators can be fined or placed in detention for up to 15 days. The Justice Ministry has proposed adding mandatory community work of up to 100 hours to the list of possible punishments, TASS reported. 

Sponsors of the proposal argue it would bring this area of the law in line with the way other extremism-related misdemeanors are punished. They cite court statistics which indicate that the number of people sanctioned for Nazi and extremist propaganda increased from 2,388 in 2019 to 5,163 last year. 

The government’s commission for legislative action has already approved the proposal, a source in the body told TASS. 

Depending on their actions, neo-Nazis in Russia could also face criminal liability. Repeat violations of the ban on the public display of extremist symbology is a criminal offense punishable by up to four years in prison.

There is also a separate article in the criminal code on the rehabilitation of Nazism, including denial of crimes committed by the Axis powers during World War II and insults against war veterans and the memory of their heroism. Such offenses can result in a prison term of up to five years. 

In November 2023, an expert panel advising the Russian Security Council identified the fight against the promotion of neo-Nazism as an important goal for the government, as it counters “information warfare and anti-Russian propaganda campaigns.”