Russia’s lower house of parliament in its wisdom has gone ahead and decriminalized some forms of domestic violence. No wonder Trump is such a fan of the place!

Under the proposed legislation, first-time offenders who do not cause serious injury will face a maximum of 15 days police custody instead of up to two years in jail.

It now needs the approval of the upper house and President Vladimir Putin.

Campaigners say the bill – dubbed the “slapping law” – would mean the “exoneration of tyrants in the home”.

The State Duma voted 380-3 for the bill, two days after it passed its second reading.

Isn’t that nice. 380 out of 383 think women deserve to be punched by men provided it’s only once a year.

But MPs from the Communist Party opposed the bill.

“Women don’t often go to the police or the courts regarding their abusive husbands, now there will be even fewer such cases, and the number of murders will increase,” said lawmaker Yury Sinelshchikov.

On Wednesday, Maria Mokhova, the executive director of the Sisters crisis centre for abuse victims, told Reuters: “This law calls for the exoneration of tyrants in the home.

“The message is: ‘Let’s not punish a person who at home beat up his family, just because he has the right to do that.'”

Russian interior ministry statistics show that 9,800 women died as a result of a serious assault in 2015, and that a quarter of murders and serious assaults take place in the home.

A petition launched by women’s rights activist Alena Popova calling for comprehensive legislation against domestic violence has reached nearly 239,000 signatures.

I can’t wait to see the US become ever more like Russia.