A bill on this was submitted to the Duma Friday in the form of amendments to the federal Law on the State Language of the Russian Federation and a number of other legislative acts, including the Code of Administrative Offenses.

According to the text of the bill, obscene swearwords should be ruled out "in the products of all-Russia, regional and municipal broadcasting organizations, movie companies, editorial offices of printed media, publishers of books, and the organizations releasing other related products."

The use of swearwords should be forbidden in theatrical productions, as well as cultural and entertainment events. Movie distribution licenses should not be issued for the movies containing obscenities in case the production of these movies has been fully or partly financed from the state budget.

Stanislav Govorukhin also proposes to augment the Code of Administrative Offenses with an article that would stipulate the penalties for encroachments on this ban – from 2,000 to 2,500 rubles for individuals, from 4,000 rubles to 4,500 rubles for officials, and from 40,000 rubles to 50,000 rubles for legal entities.

Expert studies will be appointed for the solution of dubious situations. Their mechanism has already been spelt out by the federal Law on Protection of Children from the Information Damaging Their Health and/or Development.

Govorukhin says the bill is aimed at the defense of general morality. He feels confident that the amendments he proposed stand in line with the concept and meaning of the law on the state language, "which pursues the objective of defending and developing culture at the level of language."

Imposition of penalties for obscene swearwords "also matches the general provisions for restrictions on the use of obscene vocabulary" set forth by the 'Petty Crimes' article of the Criminal Code.