Russia prepares bill that would enable Putin to "legally" deploy troops abroad

Russia's State Duma (lower house of the Russian parliament) has passed at first reading a bill that would enable Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to "legally" send troops into other states, supposedly to "protect the rights of Russian citizens".

Source: Interfax, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency; The Moscow Times, an independent Amsterdam-based news outlet

Details: The explanatory note to the bill says it was developed "for the purpose of protecting the rights of Russian citizens in the event of their arrest, detention and criminal or other prosecution". It refers to measures taken by courts in other countries and by international judicial bodies not recognised by Moscow, "whose jurisdiction is not based on an international treaty to which the Russian Federation is a party or a UN Security Council resolution adopted within the powers provided for in Chapter VII of the UN Charter".

The bill was submitted to the State Duma after a series of warnings from NATO and European intelligence services about possible Russian preparations for a conflict with one or more alliance countries.

In summer 2025, the head of Germany's intelligence service BND warned of potential provocations in the Baltic states, referencing a "Crimea scenario" – the 2014 Russian takeover of Crimea using rapid, hybrid methods. Meanwhile, General Fabien Mandon, Chief of the French Defence Staff, called for preparations for a clash with Russia within the next three to four years.

Experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said the "zero phase" of preparations for a potential clash has already begun in Russia: military districts are being reorganised, bases are being created near the border with Finland, and acts of sabotage, GPS jamming and other provocations are being recorded in Europe.

For reference: In Russia, a bill must pass three readings before it can be enacted into law.

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