Russian State Duma passes bill allowing military to protect citizens from foreign prosecution

The State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, adopted a government-backed bill Wednesday allowing the use of the military to protect citizens in cases of arrest, criminal prosecution or other legal proceedings initiated by foreign courts.

The results of the vote were published on the parliament website, with 381 deputies, or 84.7%, voting in favor, while no lawmakers voted against or abstained.

An explanatory note accompanying the bill said that under current legislation, the president is authorized to deploy the armed forces for tasks beyond their direct military purpose.

The new bill expands those powers by allowing the head of state to use the military to protect citizens from prosecution by foreign or international courts in which Russia does not participate.

In addition, it stipulates that, by decision of the president, state bodies will also take measures to protect citizens in cases of arrest, criminal prosecution or other legal proceedings by foreign courts.

If signed by President Vladimir Putin, the law will take effect 10 days after its official publication.

Some experts argue that the measure is likely to be “non-functional, but threatening,” as now a foreign country will think 10 times before detaining, for example, Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of "abducting" Ukrainian children.