Putin signs law allowing him to deploy military to aid Russians detained in foreign countries
President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing him to deploy the military to foreign countries to aid Russian citizens who’ve been detained or face prosecution.
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The powers can be used to protect Russians who’ve been arrested or face prosecution in foreign courts without Russia’s involvement, the Interfax news service reported Monday, citing the law. The armed forces could also be used in cases where Russians have been detained on orders of international judicial bodies whose jurisdiction isn’t recognized by Russia, it said.
It’s not immediately clear in what circumstances the Kremlin would invoke the law. Sending the army into a foreign country to break someone out of jail would risk triggering a military conflict with that state.
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Russia’s parliament adopted the law as Western governments stepped up efforts to curb Russia’s so-called shadow fleet carrying crude oil. Authorities in several European countries have moved to tighten checks on such vessels amid efforts to enforce sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Russia plans to provide naval convoys to protect merchant ships as it seeks to bolster the defence of the shadow fleet, presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev told the Kommersant newspaper in March.
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