Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that increases the punishment for public calls for separatism.
The Kremlin's website said on July 22 that the new minimum penalty for separatist calls will be a fine of between 10,000 and 30,000 rubles ($285 and $855).
The maximum punishment for the felony will be imprisonment of up to four years.
Previous legislation had a penalty of three years in jail.
Publicly calling for separatism on the Internet or by using online resources means up to 480 hours of community service and a maximum of five years in jail.
There was previously no punishment for online calls for separatism.