Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has registered a bill on amending certain legislative acts, which proposes tougher punishment for public denial of the temporary occupation of Ukraine's territories by Russia.

The bill's author is independent MP Viktor Baloha. The text of the document is currently unavailable on the parliament's website.

Baloha explained that the aim of the bill was to protect Ukraine's national interests, and also to prevent cases of public disregard for Ukraine's sovereignty.

"The bill foresees amendments to the law of Ukraine ' On ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens in a legal regime in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine'. It states the wrongfulness of the public denial of the temporary occupation by the Russian Federation of the part of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol; production and distribution of materials containing this denial," the press statement of the United Center Party, which is headed by Baloha, said.

The bill also envisages the amendments to the law 'On the Security Service of Ukraine' authorizing relevant units to initiate a judicial ban for business activities by business entities which both employed officials who publicly denied the temporary occupation and produced and disseminated materials containing such a denial.

Baloha said that be believed the adoption of the bill would provide additional guarantees for stopping and preventing the violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and state sovereignty by Russia and would consolidate the efforts of Ukraine and the international community to counter Russian aggression.