By law, the head of state acquires the right to decide on the use of the army to protect Russians who are arrested, detained or facing criminal prosecution abroad.
The Russian State Duma adopted a special law in its final reading. It allows the president to deploy armed forces if a Russian citizen is detained or prosecuted abroad. The Russian daily informs about the approval of the law.
Key points of the law
Officially, they talk about the protection of ordinary people, but the law can also serve the Russian president. The head of state acquires the right based on the law to decide on the use of the army to protect Russians who are arrested, detained or facing prosecution abroad.
The law focuses on the decisions of foreign courts and international bodies, in the creation of which Russia did not assist, or which are not based on international treaties and resolutions of the UN Security Council.
In addition to the army, all state authorities are obliged to take steps within their competences to protect citizens prosecuted in this way. The news changes the federal laws “On citizenship” and “On defense”. It will take effect 10 days after signing by Vladimir Putin.
Help for Putin?
It is mentioned in the article the case of archaeologist Alexander Butagin in Poland. Our northern neighbors detained him in connection with accusations of illegal excavations and the destruction of cultural heritage in Crimea. In March of this year, the Warsaw court decided to extradite him to Ukraine, where he faces up to five years in prison.
But that may not be the only motive for the adoption of such a law. The next one could be an international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials. It was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2023. Russia then responded by prosecuting the prosecutor and the judges who decided on the arrest warrant. The Russians do not recognize this court. The law creates a legal framework for a “forceful response” in the event of an attempt to detain Russian officials in ICC member states. where Slovakia also belongs.
Slovakia is officially included in Russia’s list of enemy countries. This law theoretically allows Moscow to define the legitimate arrest of a Russian citizen on our territory – e.g. on the basis of an international arrest warrant – as a reason for military intervention or a special operation.
