Return to the USSR: The State Duma approved the mass implementation of forced labor in the Russian Federation

According to hvylya.net: The Russian State Duma, as is known, is always happy to return to old practices. Recently, bills have been approved that provide for the use of forced labor as a punishment for certain convicted individuals. The news carries a certain shade of disinformation, however, the facts remain facts.

These amendments to the Criminal Code provide for the possibility of sending individuals who have committed certain minor offenses to forced labor for up to five years. This concerns offenses such as petty bribery, economic violations, and others. In total, there are 45 articles in this list that envisage forced labor as a means of deterring crime.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, Russian authorities promote forced labor as a means of 'rehabilitation' and 'development' for the convicted. In reality, it is an attempt to provide a workforce at a sufficiently low cost for the economy, which is losing workers due to war, mobilization, and emigration.

Representatives of the Center note that the Russian Federation is reverting to past practices when forced labor was used to support the economy. Thus, Putin's regime is restoring certain aspects of the former Soviet Gulag, where prisoners were used to work in sectors that required a lot of labor and resources.

The adoption of bills on forced labor in Russia indicates a worsening of labor force problems in the country and attempts by the authorities to use punitive measures to solve this problem.