"Yavlinsky believes it is important to adopt a law on protection of animals. When he was a lawmaker of the St. Petersburg parliament, the politician proposed to introduce punishment for cruelty to animals – two years in jail or 700,000 rubles (approximately $12,400) for killing [an animal]," the statement following the politician’s visit to a dog shelter near Moscow read.
Protection of animals is a political issue which is part of Yavlinsky’s election program, the statement added.
The politician believes that cruelty to animals is an indicator of the health of society, the statement continued.
Yavlinsky said that he has for years supported an animal shelter in Russia’s Tatarstan Republic, and had had two dogs, one of which had been rescued and lived with Yavlinsky’s family for 15 years.
The animal welfare law was introduced in the Russian parliament back in 2010, however it has still not been adopted.
Vladimir Burmatov, the head of the Russian lower house’s committee on ecology and environment protection, in November cited lack of agreement between the Russian agencies as a reason behind the lawmakers’ failure to elaborate and adopt the law.
The presidential election in Russia is scheduled for March 2018.
The list of candidates running for president this year comprises Sergei Baburin from right-wing All-People's Union party, non-partisan nominee of Russia's Communist Party (CPRF) Pavel Grudinin, head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky, incumbent President Vladimir Putin, who runs as an independent candidate, liberal Civic Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak, Communists of Russia party Chairman Maxim Suraykin, commissioner for entrepreneurs' rights and a nominee of the center-right Party of Growth Boris Titov, and Yavlinsky.