Russia proposes 10-year prison term for group dropper activities

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation has developed a draft bill on criminal liability for dropper activities committed by a group of persons or by prior conspiracy. At this stage, the document does not change the rules but only proposes amendments to the Criminal Code and is undergoing public discussion.

The draft proposes to supplement Article 187 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with a new norm. For actions related to dropper and drop conductor activities committed by a group under prior conspiracy or by an organized group, a prison term of 5 to 10 years may be imposed.

In addition to imprisonment, the authors propose a fine of up to 1 million rubles or the confiscation of the convicted person's income for a period of up to 5 years. The court will also be able to impose restrictions on freedom for up to 2 years; the draft bill allows for the application of these measures both together and without separate additional punishments.

The document has been posted on the portal for draft normative legal acts. The discussion will continue until October 15, after which proposals may be considered as part of further work on the initiative.

The explanatory note states that the amendments are part of the third package of measures against crimes involving information and communication technologies. The authors believe that the current version of Article 187 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation does not sufficiently account for cases where such violations are committed by multiple participants.

The ministry presented a package called 'Anti-Fraud 3.0.' It includes about 20 measures against cyber fraudsters, but the published draft specifically concerns strengthening liability for group actions related to droppers and drop conductors.