Russian upper house approves bill to confiscate assets of those convicted of discrediting the army

MOSCOW (AP) — The upper house of Russia’s parliament has endorsed a bill that would allow authorities to confiscate money, valuables and other assets from people convicted of spreading “deliberately false information” about the country’s military. Following Wednesday’s vote, the is now expected to quickly receive Russian President Vladimir Putin’s signature to become law. The new law would apply to people who are convicted of publicly inciting “extremist activities” and calling for actions that would hurt the security of the state or “discrediting” the armed forces. Discrediting the Russian military became a criminal offense under a law adopted as part of a sweeping government crackdown on dissent after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.