Russia passes law criminalizing ‘discredit of Russian military’

The lower house of the Russian Parliament has passed a law criminalizing the spreading of false information discrediting the Russian military and any calls for sanctions against Russia, state news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported on Friday.

Those charged with breaking the new law could face fines of 1.5 million rubles (about $14,000) or prison sentences of up to 15 years, TASS and RIA reported.

What happens next:

The legislation will be submitted to the upper house of parliament and, if approved, submitted to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his signature