On May 13, 2026, the State Duma of the Russian Federation approved, in its second and third readings, a law authorizing the extraterritorial use of the armed forces to protect Russian citizens who have been arrested, detained, or subjected to legal proceedings by third countries or international courts to which Moscow is not a party.
The vote recorded 381 votes in favor, equal to approximately 85% of the chamber’s membership, with no votes against and no abstentions.
The measure, promulgated by the President of the Federation and published, will enter into force in ten days.
The presidential prerogative to deploy the armed forces outside national territory was already provided for under Russian law; however, the text approved in May permanently codifies its justification, anchoring it to the criterion of citizenship.
A legal framework built over more than two decades
The law approved in May marks the culmination of a regulatory framework built incrementally since the late 1990s.
The first element dates back to May 24, 1999, when the Federal Assembly approved (overriding Boris Yeltsin’s presidential veto) Federal Law No. 99-F3 “On the State Policy of the Russian Federation Regarding Compatriots Abroad.”
The text conferred legal status on the concept of sootechestvenniki (compatriots), defined broadly: any person residing outside the territory of the Federation who, per
