Bill on Disinformation

On January 17, the Ministry of Culture presented a draft law on countering disinformation in the media, which will be in effect only during the period of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The document provides for punishment for spreading false information – from administrative fines to imprisonment. In particular, when the draft law was presented, the most severe punishment for fakes was said to be imprisonment for a term of 5 to 7 years.

The document is also aimed at raising the level of media literacy of the population, state authorities and local self-government bodies. The authors of the document propose introducing the institution of an information commissioner who will respond to reports of disinformation.