Putin allowed the use of the Russian army to “protect Russians” abroad

New law expands Kremlin’s capabilities for military operations outside Russia, raises concerns over risk of escalation with the West

Putin signed a law that allows the use of the Russian armed forces to “protect Russian citizens” arrested or prosecuted abroad by foreign courts.

The document stipulates that the decision to use the army outside Russia can be made by the Russian president himself. The law does not specify in what form such “protection” can be carried out.

The new rules directly link the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in 2023, to the decision.

Commenting on the law, the speaker of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said that “Western justice has become an instrument of repression” and that Russia must “protect its citizens.”

Previously, Russian legislation required a separate permission from the Federation Council for the use of the army abroad. This is exactly the permission granted by the upper house of the Russian parliament before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Experts and some international observers have already expressed concern that the new law actually expands the Kremlin’s capabilities to conduct military operations outside the Russian Federation and could become an additional factor in the escalation of Russia’s relations with Western countries.