Russian lawmakers said on Monday they had drafted a law providing for life imprisonment for anyone who involves minors in sabotage, while also lowering the age limit for seeking criminal responsibility for such crimes to 14, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Since sending military forces to Ukraine in 2022, Russia has drafted a series of laws that give security services broad powers to detain people accused of providing false information about the war or opposing the state.
Vasily Piskaryov, chairman of the Security Committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament, said the bill, submitted today and supported by 419 of 450 deputies, would increase the security of the state.
Inevitability of punishment
The bill will "increase the inevitability of punishment for those who try to undermine the foundations of our state", Piskaryov said.
"It will impose harsher penalties on those who involve children in terrorism and sabotage, including life imprisonment," he said, adding that the age limit will be lowered to 14.
Piskaryov said the law is necessary because sabotage poses a threat to the Russian state. He accused the secret services of Ukraine and NATO countries of intensifying subversive attacks against Russia, including by involving minors in sabotage.
He did not give specific examples, but cited data from the prosecutor's office, according to which 204 subversive crimes were registered in 2024, and in the first half of 2025 alone, there were 174.
NATO and Ukrainian authorities have not yet responded to Reuters requests for comment. Kiev has previously accused Russia of involving underage Ukrainians in attempts to destroy Ukraine's infrastructure during the war.
Russia says West is helping Ukraine attack its energy facilities
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities, and Moscow says the West, including major NATO powers, is providing Kiev with intelligence.
Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of killing people.
The Kremlin has said a general tightening of the law is needed to maintain order as Russia faces an unprecedented hybrid attack from the West, which is supporting Ukraine with hundreds of billions of dollars in weapons and intelligence.