At 0908 EST, Russian state owned media began to report President Putin signed a slew of laws and amendments to the criminal code regarding military service.
The most significant being a 10 year prison sentence for soldiers that voluntarily surrender. From Russian state owned media:
“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law amending the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, providing for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 10 years for “voluntary surrender” provided that there are no signs of a crime under the article “treason”.
The corresponding document is published on the official Internet portal of legal information.
The lower bar of punishment will be three years in prison. The article “Voluntary surrender” was not previously in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, a serviceman who has committed this crime for the first time can be exempted from criminal liability if he took measures for his release, returned to his unit or place of service and did not commit other crimes while in captivity, the law says.”
Among other amendments, students in secondary vocational schools will be exempt from the mobilization in Ukraine, which has now been widely reported to target at least 1 million Russians.
