Putin’s Powers to Use Troops Against Other Countries Expanded

The Russian government’s commission on legislative activity has approved amendments that expand President Putin’s authority to deploy troops abroad.

The Moscow Times reported on this.

According to the document, Putin will be able to use Armed Forces units “extraterritorially” to “protect Russian citizens” in the event of their arrest, detention, criminal or other prosecution abroad. This refers to cases in which Russians are detained by decisions of foreign courts that, according to the wording of the bill, “are vested with powers without the participation of the Russian Federation,” as well as by international judicial bodies whose jurisdiction Moscow does not recognize.

The bill provides for amendments to the laws “On Citizenship” and “On Defense” and was developed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The current version of the federal law “On Security” already allows the president to send troops abroad if foreign states or international organizations make decisions that, in Moscow’s opinion, “contradict the interests of the Russian Federation” or “the foundations of public law and order” in Russia.

The emergence of such a bill is linked to the initiatives of European Union countries to create a special tribunal against Russia. The Council of Europe announced its intention to form such a body to try the Russian leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine last summer.

The tribunal is planned to be modeled on the Nuremberg trials, which tried the leadership of Nazi Germany after World War II.

As of last fall, 26 EU countries had confirmed their participation. In January 2026, the European Union allocated the first €10 million for its operation, and it is planned to bring at least 20 people to justice.

The expansion of powers to use the Russian army abroad comes amid warnings from leading NATO countries that the Kremlin may be preparing for war with one or more European countries.

In fact, the new rules allow the arrest of any Russian citizen abroad to be used as a formal pretext for the use of military force.

It was recently reported that ten countries in Northern and Baltic Europe have agreed to prepare plans for the cross-border evacuation of the population in the event of war or a major crisis.