Russian Parliament drafts bill banning distribution of photos and videos of drone attacks and shelling sites online

Russian senators have drafted a bill banning the distribution of videos and photos of drone attacks and shelling sites as well as other military data, with an exception for material published by Russia’s Defence Ministry, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday, citing senator Andrey Klishas.

The draft bill also includes a ban on sharing the location of Russian troops and military infrastructure facilities as well as data on the use of weapons, air defence systems, and drones.

According to the bill, this data will be recognised as a new type of “unlawful information that is dangerous to the public and the state”.

Klishas says that during wartime such data becomes valuable intelligence for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while photos and videos taken at the sites of attacks on Russian territory allow Ukrainian forces to fine tune coordinates for future attacks.

Russian newspaper RBC reports that the bill stipulates a fine of up to 500,000 rubles (€4,880) or up to three years in prison for repeat offenders.

A similar law was approved in Ukraine shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with the maximum punishment for violating the ban set at 12 years in jail.