Yesterday (July 14) Russian President Vladimir Putin passed over 100 new laws, many seemingly in reaction to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

One such law now means Russian authorities no longer need proof of foreign funding to deem anyone a "foreign agent", according to Meduza.

Russia's foreign agent laws have previously allowed Putin to lock up critics or political dissidents if they had received money from abroad.

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One example is pro-LGBT Russian artist Yulia Tsvetkova, 27. She landed herself in hot water after posting drawings of vaginas to V Kontakte, a Russian social network.

Yulia was deemed a foreign agent after prosecutors discovered she had previously accepted grants for her work from groups related to Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros.

As a result, she could be banged up for three-and-a-half years for violating Putin's strict porn laws.

The changes to the foreign agent laws mean authorities no longer need that proof of funding and thus can lock up critics – i.e those opposed to the Ukraine invasion – more easily.

Another change is the expansion of liability for war-related crimes, which now means defecting to the Ukrainian side is legally on par with treason.

A Russian citizen or resident who participates in armed actions against Russian interests abroad can now be imprisoned for up to 20 years.

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Cooperating with foreign intelligence agencies can now land you in prison for eight years.

In a bid to get more people to support the Ukraine invasion, Putin has also extended veteran status to anyone involved in any way with the so-called "special military operation".

According to Meduza, this includes "maintenance workers, doctors, and other specialists assisting the army" as well as journalists covering the conflict.

Now, a one-day "business trip" to Ukraine means Russians qualify as veterans.

In a bizarre move not directly related to Ukraine, Putin has also created a nationwide children’s and youth movement modelled off the Soviet Union’s Young Pioneers organisation that indoctrinated young people into Soviet ideals.

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Similar organisations have existed in China, but the most famous throughout history is the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany.

Putin's new youth movement is called The Great Change and will fall under his personal control.

It is supposedly voluntary, although so was its previous incarnation in the Soviet Union and almost all kids aged between nine and 15 were involved with that.

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