Putin Wins Sweeping Powers to Use Force to Protect Russians from Foreign Prosecution

Russia’s parliament approved a law allowing President Vladimir Putin to deploy military forces abroad to protect Russians facing prosecution by foreign or international courts not recognized by Moscow. Critics warn the measure could serve as a pretext for future military interventions, echoing past justifications used in Ukraine and Georgia, amid growing Western concerns over escalating tensions with NATO. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Mikhail METZEL / POOL / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Russia’s parliament has passed a new law allowing President Vladimir Putin to deploy the country’s armed forces abroad to protect Russian citizens facing prosecution by foreign or international courts in which Moscow does not participate. The law, which passed its  first reading  last month, was adopted by the State Duma on Wednesday with 384 votes in favor, none against and no abstentions.  Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Under the new law, the Russian president can authorize state bodies and the military to take measures aimed at protecting citizens subject to arrest, criminal prosecution or other legal proceedings initiated by foreign courts or international tribunals that Russia does not recognize.  The State Duma said the measure was designed to shield Russians from what it described as “unlawful actions by unfriendly foreign states.”  Among the international tribunals in which Russia does not participate is the International Criminal Court in the Hague, which has issued arrest warrants for senior Russian officials, including Putin.   Both Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova are wanted for war crimes.  Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova holds a press conference on activity in captured Ukraine territories in the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on April 4, 2023. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) Other Topics of Interest British Defence Intelligence Update Ukraine 12 May 2026 Russia’s 2026 Victory Day parade was significantly scaled back, with no tanks or missile systems displayed amid Ukrainian drone threats and military shortages linked to the war in Ukraine. Fewer foreign leaders attended, while security measures caused internet disruptions in Moscow. Analysts say the subdued event projected Kremlin vulnerability and highlighted difficulties countering Ukrainian drone attacks. The new legislation has sparked concern among analysts and Western officials, who say Moscow has repeatedly used the protection of Russian citizens and Russian speakers abroad as justification for military intervention—including in Ukraine and Georgia.  In its annual threat assessment released in March, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned that the greatest danger to the United States could stem from “an escalatory spiral” arising either from the war in Ukraine or another conflict that could trigger direct hostilities between Russia and NATO powers, including the risk of nuclear exchange.  Dutch intelligence agencies have also warned that Russia could be capable within roughly a year of assembling forces for a regional conflict focused on limited territorial gains and political destabilization rather than a full-scale war against NATO, according to reporting by The Moscow Times.  The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said last year that Russia had already entered what it described as a “phase zero” stage of preparation for possible future conflict with the West, citing the expansion of military infrastructure near the Finnish border and an increase in hybrid warfare activities across Europe.