Russia’s State Duma passes law barring Russians convicted in absentia from consular services and real estate sales
Russia’s State Duma passed legislation imposing “temporary restrictive measures” on Russians abroad who are “evading” punishment, approving the bill in both its second and third readings, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.
The restrictions apply to anyone outside Russia who has been convicted under any article of the Criminal Code.
The law also covers defendants in administrative cases — specifically those who have not paid fines under provisions relating to “foreign agent” status, participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization,” calls to violate Russia’s territorial integrity or to impose sanctions, and “discrediting” the Russian military.
Those affected will face a “set of temporary restrictive measures” inside Russia, including:
- account freezes;
- suspension of all previously issued licenses, permits, and accreditations;
- a ban on selling their real estate and vehicles;
- denial of government services within Russia and consular services abroad (for example, a ban on obtaining a foreign passport and a ban on notarizing transactions, wills, and powers of attorney).
Before the second reading, lawmakers added further restrictions to the bill. Banks will be required to block access to apps and personal online accounts to prevent those covered by the law from transferring money. Their income will also be redirected to a special account from which court costs will be deducted.
Before the votes on the second and third readings, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that “those who have left need to think about how to appear before the court and plead guilty.”
Volodin said: “We are talking about those who harm our country. About extremists, traitors to our homeland. Those who for years have tried to do everything to destroy our state. Who justify Nazism, insult our soldiers and officers. And who hide from punishment in other countries, with a number of states sheltering them on the handouts of these regimes of traitors.”
The law will take effect once it is officially published.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.