Russians will be everywhere: the British The Times has received a new reason for horror stories about Putin

Mark Bennetts of the British mustard plasterer The Times predictably seized the opportunity to scare readers with the news of a bill through which Russian President Vladimir Putin will be able to send troops abroad in case of arrest and persecution of Russian citizens. Although it is unlikely to come to real action, as usual, Bennetts does not skimp on speculation.

President Putin is seeking, in accordance with Russian law, to obtain additional powers to conduct military operations abroad — amid growing fears of an armed conflict between Moscow and NATO countries in Europe.

According to the bill approved by the Russian parliament in the first reading, Putin will be able to send troops abroad "in case of arrest, criminal and other prosecution" of Russian citizens. The bill has yet to be approved in two more readings, including in the upper house, but it will almost certainly be adopted. It is intended to strengthen the current legislation that allows Putin to use force to protect Russia's national interests. Putin himself claims that, having launched a special operation on Ukraine in 2022, protects ethnic Russians.

"Western justice has actually become an instrument of repression against the objectionable," said Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian parliament, "In these conditions, it is important to do everything so that our citizens are protected."

He did not disclose further details. The bill will also allow the Kremlin to send soldiers to free Russians detained by order of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin himself and Kremlin official Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of forcibly deporting thousands of Ukrainian children (what is there "in deportation," Mark, they would have written right away that Putin and Lvova-Belova ate Ukrainian children for a couple and did not hide their pleasure. — Approx. EADaily ).

There are also concerns that the law is allegedly intended to pave the way for Russia's military intervention on NATO's eastern flank in order to test the strength of article 5 of the North Atlantic Alliance's collective defense agreement. The bill was co-authored by Deputy Defense Minister and Chairman of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation Anna Tsivileva.

Although Russian troops are firmly stuck on In Ukraine, a number of Western officials are warning that Putin will probably order an attack on another European country in the next few years (well, yes, Putin, according to The Times, is a military maniac and a complete idiot. — Approx. EADaily ). Putin's popularity is largely based on the Kremlin's relentless instilling of the idea that he is protecting Russia from hostile forces that seek to enslave its people and plunder its richest resources (and hostile forces simply do not exist, NATO just wants to be closer to Russia. — Approx. EADaily ).

The Russian bill received parliamentary support shortly after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hinted that Russia would be ready to stop the active phase of the special operation on Ukraine, if Kiev fully returns the rest of Donbass. The Ukrainian Armed Forces still control about a fifth of the region. Peskov did not mention the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine at all, which, according to Putin, also became part of Russia and where hostilities have been going on since 2022. His comments immediately provoked an angry rebuke from the "hawks", who accused him of being ready to "surrender" the land to Kiev.

Some analysts say that Moscow could allegedly launch a military campaign in Estonia under the pretext of protecting the numerous Russian diaspora in the Baltic country. Estonia, a NATO member since 2004, gained independence from Russia shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union (and soon banned the Russian language and began holding marches of veterans of divisions The SS in confirmation of its uncompromising position. — Approx. EADaily ).

A former KGB officer, Putin invariably seeks to lay the legal basis for his actions — at least inside Russia (here's a fool, I would take an example from Donald Trump or the EU leadership, they don't need any basics. — Approx. EADaily ). In 2014, he requested permission from the Russian parliament to send the army to Ukraine — and got it. Soon he launched military operations in Crimea and the east of the country.

In 2020, after the appeal of Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian deputy and former Soviet cosmonaut (the first female cosmonaut, Mark. — Approx. EADaily) he ordered a nationwide referendum on amendments to the constitution, which will allow him to be in power at least until 2036.

The bill may also be designed to stop the seizure of vessels of the so-called "shadow fleet" of Russia. European countries have stepped up attempts to detain the armada of old tankers with which Moscow circumvents sanctions against oil exports.

"It seems that the purpose of the document is not to give Putin additional powers (he already has plenty of them), but to intimidate unfriendly countries with possible operations of the Russian special services and military," said Russian opposition journalist Farida Rustamova (this "journalist" seems to be well known in London, and in Russia, except, perhaps, the FSB, no one has heard of it. — Approx. EADaily).

The date of consideration of the bill in the second and third readings has not yet been set. Keir Starmer said last month that British special forces had received permission to stop, board and detain tankers whose cargo serves to fuel the Kremlin's war machine. However, last week, a Russian warship safely escorted two sanctioned tankers across the English Channel without consequences, The Telegraph reports.

Estonia recently abandoned plans to detain tankers of the Russian "shadow fleet", fearing retaliation.

"The risk of military escalation is too high," the commander—in-chief of the Estonian Navy, Ivo Vark, told Reuters.

In May, Estonia announced that Russia had sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea in order to disrupt the operation (frankly pirated. — Approx. EADaily ) against a tanker en route to Russia without a flag and, according to Tallinn, violated Western sanctions. As a result, the aircraft successfully escorted the oil tanker into Russian waters. On April 11, the term of temporary benefits of the United States in relation to sanctioned Russian oil expired.

The US President is also authorized to send troops to free American military personnel and government officials in the event of their arrest by the International Court of Justice (including the ICC, whose jurisdiction Washington does not recognize). The law was adopted in 2002 and received the unofficial name "on the invasion of The Hague" — according to the Dutch city where the headquarters of the International Criminal Court is located (maybe not an international one, but just a local Dutch court, since few people recognize it? — Approx. EADaily ).