Insulting President Vladimir Putin could land Russian critics behind bars after he signed laws imposing fines and even jail time for spreading “fake news” or material that’s considered insulting to Russian big shots.

The laws target both online media and individuals for disseminating information critical of the Kremlin or the Russian strongman.

Prosecutors can now complain about online publications to the state communications watchdog, which has powers to block access to the websites if their owners fail to remove the material promptly, Bloomberg News reported.

Publications found guilty of spreading “unreliable socially significant information” may face fines of as much as $23,000.

Individuals also face fines and up to 15 days in jail if they publish material online that expresses “clear disrespect for society, the state, the official state symbols of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Russian Federation and bodies exercising state power.”

The measures were attacked during their passage through parliament by the Presidential Human Rights Council, which warned of their potential use as tools of repression against critics of the authorities.

A defiant Putin signed the legislation after thousands of people protested in Moscow earlier this month against Kremlin plans to establish a “Sovereign internet” that would route online traffic mostly through domestic servers and exchanges.

Opponents said the move would enable officials to cut off access to services such as Facebook and Google as well as websites critical of the government amid growing public discontent on issues such as rising prices and increases in the pension age.

Valentina Matviyenko, a key Putin ally who heads the upper house of parliament, laughed off the impact of the new laws last week, however, citing jokes that Russians had made about the legislation.

The powers mean that “if you criticize the authorities, you’ll be prosecuted under the law against insulting officials,” she told an advisory council.

“And if you praise the authorities, you’ll be prosecuted under the law against fake news.”

Putin’s move comes as President Trump — an open admirer of his Russian counterpart — has ramped up his own attacks on the media, and even threatened to investigate social media giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter for supposedly favoring Democrats, a charge they deny.

“The Fake News Media has NEVER been more Dishonest or Corrupt than it is right now. There has never been a time like this in American History. Very exciting but also, very sad! Fake News is the absolute Enemy of the People and our Country itself!” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.

“Facebook, Google and Twitter, not to mention the Corrupt Media, are sooo on the side of the Radical Left Democrats. But fear not, we will win anyway, just like we did before! #MAGA,” he added in a second tweet.

With Bloomberg

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