State Duma passes bill on president’s right to use armed forces to protect Russians abroad

Russia’s State Duma passed a bill on the “extraterritorial” use of Russian armed forces to protect Russian citizens abroad, the state-run Russian news agency TASS reported. The legislation cleared both its second and third readings.

The amendments apply to the laws on citizenship and on defense. The Defense Ministry drafted the bill and introduced it in the State Duma on March 19. Deputies approved it in its first reading on April 14.

Under the law, any decision on the “extraterritorial” use of the armed forces would rest with the president.

The purpose of the law is not entirely clear, the independent Russian political newsletter Faridaily noted — the president already has the right to “take measures” to protect citizens when foreign or international bodies make decisions that contradict Russia’s interests, under Article 8 of Federal Law No. 390 on security.

The head of the State Duma’s defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, tied the need for the law to the case of archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who was detained in Poland and released in late April. Lawyers polled by the Russian business daily Kommersant suggested the law could serve as a legal framework for escorting or guarding vessels from the “shadow fleet” placed on sanctions lists — Russian Navy ships already accompany them.

The Bell, the independent Russian business and politics outlet, noted that Russian lawmakers modeled the bill on the U.S. law known as the American Servicemembers’ Protection Act (ASPA) of 2002, more commonly known as the “Hague Invasion Act” — legislation aimed at shielding American military personnel and officials from the actions of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin, children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, and a number of senior Russian military figures, including former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.