Debate Over Russia's Domestic Violence Bill Escalates Into Lawsuit

Chair of the Russian State Duma Committee on Family Protection Nina Ostanina said that if a law against domestic violence is adopted in Russia, young people "will become more cautious about getting married" and could fall under "the ideology of rejecting parenthood," according to the Moskva news agency.

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Russian Parliament building

"At present, eight out of ten marriages end in divorce. If all ten end in divorce, would there be any point in adopting such a law? Would young people still get married if this law is passed? Or would young men become afraid because any physical contact with their wife at home, based on sometimes impulsive statements by our women, could be interpreted as an attack on her physical or mental well-being?" Ostanina said.

She was commenting on a bill prepared by Ksenia Goryacheva, a deputy from the New People party, which proposes introducing criminal liability for assaults committed against close relatives. The draft legislation was submitted to the Russian government for review last week.

Ostanina Files Defamation Lawsuit

Ostanina has filed a lawsuit to defend her honor and dignity against Goryacheva, according to records in the Moscow court database.

Explaining her decision in an interview with Kommersant, Ostanina said that Goryacheva had arbitrarily interpreted her comments on the proposed legislation, resulting in what she described as slander and accusations that she justified and welcomed the deaths of thousands of women for the sake of demographic statistics.

Ostanina said she could not imagine "a more terrible accusation" being made against her.

Goryacheva Stands by Her Position

Goryacheva responded to news of the lawsuit on her Telegram channel.

"Our disagreement with Nina Alexandrovna is not about our personal relationship with each other, but about protecting women and children from violence. I am not changing my position and am prepared to defend it, including in court if necessary. I continue to support tougher penalties for domestic violence and believe that political disagreements on such issues should be resolved through open public debate and within parliament, not through lawsuits," she wrote.

The dispute began after Goryacheva introduced her bill proposing criminal liability for domestic violence. Commenting on the draft legislation, Ostanina suggested that "young men would be afraid" to marry because "any physical contact" could be interpreted as an offense. Goryacheva replied that "the most disturbing thing is hearing such words from a woman who is prepared to consider women's safety an acceptable price for preserving marriage statistics."