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The Russian parliament passes a law allowing the Kremlin to intervene militarily for citizens prosecuted by foreign courts or international tribunals that Moscow does not recognize.
Russia's parliament has passed a new law giving President Vladimir Putin the right to use armed forces abroad to protect Russian citizens facing criminal prosecution by foreign courts or international tribunals in which Moscow does not participate.
The law was approved by the State Duma on Wednesday with 384 votes in favor, with no votes against or abstentions. The bill had passed its first reading last month.
Under the new provisions, the Russian president can authorize state bodies and the military to take measures to protect citizens who are subject to arrest, criminal proceedings, or investigations initiated by foreign courts or international tribunals that Russia does not recognize.
The State Duma stated that the measure aims to protect Russians from what it called "illegal actions of unfriendly foreign states."
Among the international institutions that Russia does not recognize is the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has issued arrest warrants for senior Russian officials, including Vladimir Putin.
Putin and the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, are wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes.
Concerns about using the law as a justification for intervention
The new law has raised concerns among Western analysts and officials, who point out that Moscow has previously used the argument of protecting Russian citizens and Russian-speakers abroad to justify military interventions, including in Ukraine and Georgia.
In its annual threat assessment report, published in March, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned that the greatest risk to the United States could come from "an escalation spiral" related to the war in Ukraine or another conflict that could lead to direct confrontation between Russia and NATO countries, including the risk of the use of nuclear weapons.
Even Dutch intelligence agencies have warned that Russia may be able, within about a year, to prepare forces for a regional conflict focused on limited territorial gains and political destabilization, rather than for a full-scale war against NATO, The Moscow Times reported.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said last year that Russia had already entered a preparatory phase for a potential conflict with the West. The institute cited the expansion of military infrastructure near the border with Finland and the increase in hybrid warfare activities in Europe as indicators of this strategy.
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