The State Duma has approved in the first reading a bill that expands the powers of the president of the Russian Federation to deploy troops to foreign states to “protect the rights of Russian citizens.” According to the government-drafted document, Vladimir Putin will be able to use the Russian army for operations abroad in the event of the arrest, detention, criminal prosecution, or other persecution of Russians, Interfax reports.
The measures would apply to actions taken by foreign courts “authorized without the participation of the Russian Federation,” as well as international judicial bodies that Moscow does not recognize (“whose jurisdiction is not based on an international treaty of the Russian Federation or a UN Security Council resolution adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter”), according to the explanatory note.
Under Article 8 of the federal law “On Security,” the Russian president already has the authority to send military forces abroad. Such a decision may be made if other countries or international bodies take steps that are “contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation” or violate its “public order principles.”
The bill was introduced in the State Duma amid a series of warnings from NATO and European intelligence services about a possible Russian preparation for a conflict with one or more alliance countries. In the summer of 2025, the head of German intelligence (BND) warned of the risk of provocations in the Baltic states in a Crimea-style scenario, while in February Danish intelligence stated that Russia could launch a large-scale war in Europe within five years. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte agreed with these assessments, and French Chief of the Defence Staff General Fabien Mandon called for preparations for a confrontation with Russia within the next 3–4 years.
According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the “zero phase” of such preparations in Russia has already begun: military districts are being reorganized, bases are being built near the Finnish border, and acts of sabotage, GPS jamming, and other provocations are being recorded in Europe.
The head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrey Kartapolov, stated that the bill would ensure the protection of the rights, freedoms, and lawful interests of Russian citizens, as well as Russian organizations, “from unlawful foreign encroachments.”
