The State Duma of Russia has allowed Vladimir Putin to deploy the army in other countries in the event that Russian citizens are detained.
The State Duma of Russia has approved in the first reading a bill that extends the powers of the president regarding the deployment of troops in foreign states for the “protection of the rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation”. According to the document drafted by the government, Putin will be able to use the army in external operations in case of the arrest, detention or criminal prosecution of Russian citizens, reports Interfax.
The matter also involves decisions of courts from other states “endowed with competencies without the participation of the Russian Federation”, as well as some international courts that Moscow does not recognize – that is, those whose jurisdiction “is not based on an international treaty of the Russian Federation or on a resolution of the UN Security Council adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter”, it is stated in the explanatory note.
Currently, the Russian president already has, according to the federal law “on security”, the right to deploy troops abroad. Such a decision can be made if other states or international organizations adopt measures “contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation” or “public order” in Russia.