The State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament) has passed a bill in its second and third readings, expanding the list of reasons for revoking acquired citizenship. The list will now include 14 articles from the Russian Criminal Code (CC) and over 20 criminal offenses, according to TASS.

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated that the legislation aims to ensure national security. He highlighted that with the adoption of the law, the grounds for revoking acquired citizenship have now increased to more than 80.

The updated list includes the following offenses:

·         Sexual violence against minors, causing severe harm or, through negligence, leading to the death of the victim.

·         Public calls for extremist and terrorist activities, including the justification or propaganda of terrorism.

·         Illegitimate influence on Russia's critical information infrastructure.

·         Cooperation with foreign states against the security of Russia, assisting an adversary in activities aimed against the country’s safety, or making public calls for activities harmful to the state.

·         Propaganda or display of Nazi symbols and paraphernalia.

·         Assistance in fulfilling decisions of international organizations that Russia does not participate in or foreign government bodies.

·         Murder, group rape, rape with particular cruelty, and immoral acts committed against two or more individuals.

Citizenship will also be revoked for crimes committed against children, including:

Sexual intercourse with a child aged 12 to 14 years.

• Involvement of minors in prostitution or the organization of prostitution involving children.
• Production and distribution of materials with pornographic images of minors.
• Coercion of a child into sexual acts, including by an organized group, using the internet, or by individuals with a criminal record for sex crimes against minors.

However, individuals residing in Crimea, Donbas, and Novorossiya, who acquired Russian citizenship after these regions joined the country, will not be affected by these changes in terms of citizenship revocation.

In addition, the State Duma approved amendments introducing fines for the use of software, including VPN services, to access blocked websites and search for extremist materials.

Two new articles have been added to the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses:

• Article 13.52 imposes responsibility for violations related to the use of VPN services in Russia. Fines range from 50,000 to 200,000 rubles for individuals, 80,000 to 300,000 rubles for officials, and 200,000 to 1 million rubles for legal entities.
• Article 13.53 establishes responsibility for "searching for knowingly extremist materials and gaining access to them," including through restricted access programs. Fines for individuals range from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles. Previously, Russian laws did not impose penalties for viewing blocked content.

Additionally, amendments were made to Article 63 of the Russian Criminal Code, which concerns aggravating circumstances, recognizing the use of VPN services in committing a crime as an aggravating factor.