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Russian lawmakers have introduced a new bill aimed at re-establishing criminal liability for beatings within families. Previously, domestic violence was treated as a criminal offense, but it was decriminalized in 2017, a move many now label as a grave mistake. Despite repeated attempts by legislators to reintroduce criminal responsibility for domestic battery, previous bills were rejected due to opposition from conservative and religious groups. This article examines the current proposals and the prospects for their legislative approval.
The Decriminalization of Domestic Violence
Historically, Russia had laws addressing domestic violence. It was categorized under battery offenses, with a relevant article in the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, later incorporated into the Russian Criminal Code in 1996. For beatings that did not cause harm to health but were directed at relatives, offenders could face up to two years in prison or a fine of 40,000 rubles.
In 2016, a bill titled “On the Prevention of Family and Household Violence” was submitted to the State Duma by Deputy Saliya Murzabaeva and Senator Anton Belyakov. This proposal sought to establish legal definitions for “family and household violence” and “family and household offender.” It also aimed to empower police to issue out-of-court restraining orders against perpetrators, preventing them from approaching victims, and to guarantee victims access to free legal and medical assistance. However, this bill was ultimately rejected.
A year later, Russia enacted a law that decriminalized domestic beatings. The initiative was spearheaded by Senator Elena Mizulina, who argued that criminal penalties for beating relatives could inflict “irreparable harm to family relations.” Mizulina expressed concerns that criminal cases could be initiated on minor pretexts, such as a child’s scratch or bruise, leading to intrusive family inspections and even the removal of children. She believed this would result in unpredictable law enforcement practices and damage family bonds.
Under the new regulations, domestic violence was reclassified as an administrative offense, with criminal charges only pursued upon a repeat violation.
Efforts to Reintroduce Domestic Violence Legislation
The decriminalization of domestic violence sparked significant debate. In February 2018, Mikhail Fedotov, Chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, reignited the discussion about enacting a law to prevent family beatings. This idea received support from Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council, who referred to the repeal of criminal responsibility for domestic battery as an error. She instructed that the previously rejected 2016 bill on preventing domestic violence be revised by December 1, 2019.
Matvienko emphasized the need to study international practices and address patriarchal attitudes. By late November 2019, the revised bill was published on the Federation Council’s website, immediately drawing strong objections from conservative segments of Russian society. Opposition came from prominent figures like Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the LDPR party, and Sergey Mironov, leader of the A Just Russia faction. Public organizations within the Orthodox movement “Forty Forties” also voiced their disapproval. The Russian Orthodox Church issued a formal statement condemning the initiative, declaring it “incompatible with traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.”
The Church’s patriarchal commission on family affairs stated that the bill was “explicitly anti-family” and diminished the rights and freedoms of those who choose family life and child-rearing compared to others. It argued that the bill unfairly burdened families and parents, effectively introducing a “punishment for family life.” Consequently, the bill failed to pass its first reading in the State Duma. Nevertheless, the debate continued.
In 2020, a survey conducted by the Russian Field research center revealed widespread support for a new domestic violence law. Among 1,600 respondents, 95% of women and 83% of men positively assessed such an initiative.
In April 2024, Kazakhstan, a neighboring country, passed its own domestic violence law. Officially titled “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Ensuring Women’s Rights and Child Safety,” it became popularly known as the “Saltanat Law,” in memory of Saltanat Nukenova, who was murdered by her husband, former Economy Minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev. Following these events in Kazakhstan, the Russian party “New People” submitted a bill to the Russian government proposing fines of up to 10,000 rubles for promoting domestic violence online. However, the government issued a negative review of this proposal.
Ksenia Goryacheva’s New Initiative
On June 19, 2026, Ksenia Goryacheva, a deputy from “New People,” submitted a new bill to the government for review, seeking to reintroduce criminal responsibility for beatings against close individuals and relatives. The proposed legislation would establish criminal liability for battery (Article 116 of the Criminal Code) committed against a close person, a pregnant woman, or someone who is “in a helpless state or in material or other dependency on the perpetrator.”
Currently, Article 116 of the Criminal Code applies to beatings committed out of hooligan motives, with public display, or for repeated violence against close individuals, carrying a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison.
Essentially, Goryacheva’s proposal is not a new concept but a restoration of the legal framework that was in place for domestic violence prior to 2017. Mikhail Fedotov, former Chairman of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights and a professor at the Higher School of Economics, told “Vechernyaya Moskva” that this is the simplest solution to the contentious issue. He fully supports the measure, noting that legislators would not need to invent anything new but simply rectify the 2017 error. However, Fedotov believes this alone may not be sufficient and that a law on the prevention of domestic violence should also be considered.
Former Senator Anton Belyakov, who was involved in drafting the initial bill on preventing domestic violence, stressed the importance of demonstrating that the problem of family beatings has not been resolved since 2017 to advance the new initiative. He explained that the 2017 decriminalization was predicated on improvements in prevention and law enforcement response systems. The expectation was to monitor the situation for approximately five years to assess any reduction in beatings against spouses and children. With considerable time having passed, an evaluation of the situation is now possible. If domestic violence has not decreased or has even increased since 2017, this could provide a strong basis for reintroducing criminal responsibility.
Belyakov added that when submitting the bill to the government, Goryacheva should have included official statistics on domestic violence and secured the support of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies. He suggested that the initiators could have obtained data on domestic violence cases from law enforcement, consulted the Supreme Court on the current effectiveness of legal regulations in this area, and cited successful examples of domestic violence laws in other countries, such as Kazakhstan. If these steps were taken, the chances of receiving a positive review and achieving the bill’s adoption would be high.
According to data submitted by Russia to the UN, 963 women were killed by close relatives in 2024, as reported by Life.ru. A Russian Field survey indicates that 90% of Russians support the adoption of a law providing penalties for domestic violence.
In June 2026, State Duma deputies also put forth another initiative: the creation of a registry for pedophiles and stricter restrictions for individuals with prior convictions for such crimes. This proposal emerged in the context of investigations into the pornography website “Blue Orchid,” which published child pornography in the 1990s. “Vechernyaya Moskva” covered this initiative in a separate report.
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