The Russian State Duma has approved a bill on the “extraterritorial” use of the Russian Armed Forces “to protect Russian citizens abroad”. The decision on this is made by the Russian President.
This is reported by Russian propaganda media.
The law was developed to protect the rights of Russian citizens in the event of arrest, detention, criminal and other prosecution by decision of courts of foreign states without the participation of Russia, as well as international judicial bodies to which the Russian Federation is not a member (for example, the International Criminal Court).
The head of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov in March linked the need for the law to the case of archaeologist Alexander Butyagin, who conducted illegal excavations in Crimea.
In December 2025, he was detained in Poland at the request of the Ukrainian prosecutorʼs office. Ukraine demanded Butyaginʼs extradition, and in January the Polish prosecutorʼs office agreed to this demand. In March, a Polish court agreed to extradite him to Ukraine.
However, on April 28, Poland handed him over as part of a five-for-five exchange with Russia and Belarus.
Lawyers interviewed by the Russian propaganda outlet Kommersant suggested that this was a “legislative formalization” of escorting or protecting shadow fleet vessels that are on the sanctions list. However, Russian ships are still unofficially escorting them.
- Russian media outlet The Bell reports that Russian officials cited the 2002 US Act on the Protection of American Servicemen, known as the “Hague Invasion Act,” as their inspiration.
- Its purpose is to protect American servicemen and officials from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, and it authorizes the use of “all necessary and appropriate measures” to free them — potentially including military action.
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