Russia authorizes military operations to rescue citizens from foreign courts! The EU is boiling over, and China is swiftly following suit.
According to TASS on April 14, the Russian State Duma passed a bill in its first reading during a plenary session, proposing to authorize the deployment of Russian military forces to protect Russian citizens facing judicial proceedings abroad under specific circumstances. The bill was submitted to the State Duma on March 19, and Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of Russia's Defense Committee, explicitly expressed his support.
The day before, China also unveiled the "Regulations on Countering Unfair Extraterritorial Jurisdiction by Foreign Countries," consisting of 20 articles, effective immediately upon publication.
The direct trigger for this Russian bill was a concrete case. In December last year, Russian archaeologist Alexander Bujagin was invited to Poland for an academic lecture, but was arrested by Polish authorities based on an international arrest warrant issued by Ukraine, which accused him of “destroying cultural heritage” during archaeological excavations in Crimea. In March this year, a Warsaw court ruled that he could be extradited to Ukraine.
In explaining the necessity of the bill, Kartapolov pointed out that this scholar had no connection whatsoever with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, yet was detained while giving a lecture, imprisoned, and even faced extradition to Ukraine. He stated the bill was precisely designed “to respond to such cases and other similar situations.”
From the bill’s design, its scope does not apply to all Russian citizens detained overseas. According to analysis by BBC Russian Service, the bill only applies to Russians being prosecuted in foreign or international courts (where Russia has not participated in their authorization procedures). This limitation stems from the bill’s specific wording, excluding judicial bodies established based on international treaties to which Russia is a party or United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Voting data indicate overwhelming support for the bill within the Russian State Duma. Reports state that 413 deputies voted in favor, with zero opposing votes and zero abstentions. Kartapolov’s remarks are noteworthy—he claimed the Russian military possesses sufficient manpower and capability to carry out such missions “without attracting unnecessary attention, yet ensuring mission success.” The international community widely interprets this as suggesting Russia may deploy special forces or disguise regular troops as other armed personnel.
Yekaterina Shulman, a political scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center, commented: “The message of this bill is simple: if you try to detain our people, we can send in special forces.”
The EU responded swiftly and firmly. Multiple European media outlets focused coverage on the issue. According to Ukrainska Pravda, reporting on April 14, the background of this bill includes repeated warnings from NATO and European intelligence agencies that Russia might be preparing for military conflict with one or more NATO member states. In summer 2025, Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service chief warned of a scenario similar to the 2014 Crimea incident emerging in the Baltic region.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862588962246668/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.