On April 14, 2026, the Russian State Duma passed in its first reading a government-sponsored bill that expands the president’s powers to deploy the Russian Armed Forces outside the country to protect Russian citizens from prosecution by foreign or international courts.
According to the document, the head of state would be authorized to sanction the “extraterritorial” use of military formations in cases of arrest, detention, criminal, or other prosecution of Russian citizens based on decisions made by courts of foreign states or international bodies. The law’s provisions apply only to situations where such judicial bodies act “without Russia’s participation”—that is, their powers are not based on international treaties ratified by Moscow or on UN Security Council resolutions adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
The authors of the initiative—the Defense Ministry and the government—justify the amendments as necessary to protect the rights of Russian citizens abroad. The proposed changes would amend the federal laws On Defense and On Russian Citizenship.
The expansion of the president’s legal authority was noted in a recent report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), whose analysts point out that the bill’s wording is quite broad and may allow wide interpretation.
The bill was introduced to the State Duma in March 2026 and has so far passed only the first reading. To take effect, it must be approved in three readings by the lower house, endorsed by the Federation Council, and signed by the president.
Russian state media emphasize the humanitarian aspect of the initiative—protecting compatriots from “unlawful” prosecution abroad. Analysts, however, note that the new provision could become an additional legal basis for military operations outside Russia under the pretext of protecting citizens, especially given Moscow’s rejection of several international judicial institutions.