July 08, 2022

Soviet Law Against Sabotage May Return


Soviet Law Against Sabotage May Return
Ammar Sabaa

According to Meduza, the National Anti-Corruption Committee (NAC) has proposed resurrecting the Soviet-era law against “wrecking” (or “sabotage”), adding back an article to the Criminal Code.

The head of NAK, Kirill Kabanov, wrote a letter to Senator Andrei Klishas, in which he said that the criminal code does not contain “the concept of harm and material damage as it relates to defense capability, national and economic security.” Therefore, he said, he believes that people responsible for “a decrease in the country's defense capability, for a negative impact on domestic industrial and financial markets, for disruption of the state order" cannot be held accountable if there is no direct material damage.

Kabanov proposed that Klishas evaluate the possibility of returning a sabotage statute to the criminal code, “considering modern realities and the law of the Russian Federation.”

Klishas said that Kabanov's proposal “at a minimum is worthy of serious discussion… when you consider the successes of our institutions at ‘import substitution’ and in other areas, one would really like to return an article on wrecking to the criminal code."

The USSR’s 1930 criminal code did not have a separate article about wrecking per se, but several points in the section on “counterrevolutionary activity” dealt with wrecking, and several million persons were repressed (imprisoned and/or killed) in the Soviet era as “saboteurs.” Most cases against “saboteurs,” according to Mediazona, were initiated under Article 58.7 – “Obstruction of the Normal Activities of State Institutions and Enterprises… for Counter-revolutionary Purposes.”

In 1960, sabotage appeared as a separate offense in the Criminal Code of the USSR. It was described by Article 69, in the section "Especially Dangerous State Crimes." The article provided for up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. The RSFSR Criminal Code article "Sabotage" remained in effect until 1996, when a new Russian Criminal Code came into force.

In 2015, Valery Rashkin, at that time a member of the State Duma from the Communist Party, suggested that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, and the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General’s Office, return the “Sabotage” article to the Russian Criminal Code. No law enforcement response to his proposal was reported.

 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955