Regarding the Duma's formulation of a record number of laws, this seems to plug into the time-honoured Russian proclivity that appearance equals substance. Tsarist minister Potyomkin reputedly thought that hollow village fascades equalled a prosperous Russian countryside. Stalin thought that show trials equalled justice and that ostentatious sham elections equalled legitimacy. His Soviet successors thought that endlessly repeated propaganda caused reality. And the Duma thinks that churning out laws by the truckload actually changes Russia.

This no law is a step forward to the ultimate police state and a step backward to Stalinist times. BB watches you!

While this new security law can be abused, it may be needed to combat terrorism. Britain, France, and the United States have similar laws. Second, Russia needs some legal structure to prevent corruption and white collar offences. Freedom and civil rights come with responsibilities and some limitations!

This is the only posible choise for Russia, becouse we saw what express democratization process brought to Russia, russian society, system and Russian people in the past. I hope that the urban myths and mythology about succes of "laizzes fair" system collapsed completely. RUSSIA FORWARD !!!

Yeltsin Jr. (Medvedev) decideds to push a draconian law through and of course Duma doesn't fail to push this through. The one time I agree with a Marzipan phrase. The Duma pumps out more stupid laws than one can count and none of them ever enact positive change.

Russia's laws regarding security are very lax and are long overdue. The NGO law of foreign states and their intelligence services using them for subversion against Russia should have come into effect long ago. @Marzipan6 The EU and especially the US as more strict antiterrorist and security laws than Russia which unlike Russia does not have a series foreign sponsored terrorist threat to the tune of $1 billion seeking to destroy it using WMD’s according to the 1998 US DEA report. Show trials another anti-Stalin myth where foreign observers reporting on them including FDR's presidential envoy observed the trials and no real evidence to suggest they were staged. In fact Soviets under Stalin centralised power instituting a legal system to limit persecutions and violence and hold official accountable not increase it.

My dear Johnx, who thinks that Stalin’s show trials were a myth: you are living in a willing, self-imposed state of denial. If you want to break out of it, read Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s “The GULAG Archipelago” – possibly you will agree he was neither a Western agent nor a purveyor of Western myths. For good measure, also read “GULAG – a History” by Anne Applebaum and “Stalin and His Hangmen” by Donald Rayfield. I have read all those books, although I really didn’t need to. Because I have also read the transcripts of the show trial of my uncle, from September 1941, presided over by NKVD SSSR Leader, Interrogation Group, Preventer of Danger to the State, one Captain Bezborodov, of the Soviet occupation force in Estonia. Its text chills my blood. Amongst the trial transcript is also the following document entitled “Orders for Arrest”. It states in part that during the Estonian War of Liberation of 1918-20 twenty years previously (!), my uncle “voluntarily went to fight against the Red Army. He was an Estonian Army officer. He was the son of a man who owned many houses (which is nonsense!). He was hostile to the Soviet SSSR rule. He has relatives who left Estonia in 1941, and their reputation is bourgeoisie, and who are very hostile to the Soviet rule.” This bit of Stalinese obscenity bore the signature: Authorised Senior Group Investigator NKVD SSSR Junior Lieutenant Sarajev. I think we all know what is the nature of the function for which an NKVD "investigator" is a euphamism. Please don’t even begin trying to tell me how there were no Stalinist show trials, Johnx. I'm afraid such efforts make me feel physically sick.

This new law smells bad. If I didn't know better, I would think it was a carry-over from the Bush administration here in USA. Caution - we still do not have habeas corpus restored and the government is still wiretapping anybody they want without a warrant. This new law from the Duma sounds like it is similar. Ugh.

Although Russia experiences way more terrorist attacks than America and Europe combined, I still think they shouldn't follow America and Europe's example of strict anti-terrorist laws, especially since the vast majority of former Soviet Muslims are peace loving people. Perhaps by not targeting private individuals, the FSB is trying to be a bit more relaxed about it than their western counter-parts.

@marzipan ... you should go and criticize the C.I.A or some other western intel groups .. cause they are worse .. this one here is none of your business

London's "Daily Telegraph" is reporting this new law as being a law to stop "Thought Crimes" - this is typical of the hypocrisy of the Western Media/Counties - the UK has "Thought Crime" laws - there have been a number of cases where Christian people (including pensioners) have been taken to the police station for "questioning" because they have publically voiced the idea that homosexuality is a sin.

Critizie America and the CIA for having a powerful intelligence agency but say its ok for Russia to do. Hypocrisy at its finest.

The CIA is guilty of the most horrible crimes humanity has ever seen. 30.000 dead in Guatemala due to a dictator installed by the CIA. Another 30.000 disappeared, tortured and murdered people in Argentina due to the CIA. The FSB and the CIA are not the same. It is rather FBI vs. FSB. I dont see the hipocrisy you described.