Vladimir Putin signs law allowing deputies not to declare income publicly

Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that allows lawmakers not to declare their income publicly.

Under the new legislation, deputies will still have to file income declarations, but the information will only appear publicly in a summarized format, “without personal data,” according to Pavel Krasheninnikov, one of the law’s coauthors. The law will enter into effect on March 1, 2023.

Explaining why it was necessary to stop requiring legislators to report their finances publicly, Krasheninnikov said: “Not everybody wants to do it; [they’re] lazy.”

According to Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the change will not affect the state’s “fight against corruption.” He has claimed the new measures are necessary because of the “specifics” of Russia’s “special military operation” (the Kremlin’s euphemism for the war against Ukraine).