The Russian opposition party has submitted a bill in parliament that will criminalise the denial of the Armenian genocide, carried out by the Ottoman Empire over a century ago.
"We have just submitted a bill on responsibility for failure to acknowledge the fact of a genocide of Armenians by Turkey in 1915," said the leader of Russia's opposition A Just Russia party, Sergei Mironov.
Those who deny that the killings constituted genocide can face a fine of up to $7,500
The move is likely to inflame tensions with Turkey, who deny that it was a genocide, the day after the Turkish air force shot down a Russian jet near the Syrian border.