Not All Criminals Pose the Same Threat to the kremlin

The state duma of the rf has finally approved a package of laws which significantly expands the authorities’ ability to prosecute russians who have left the country. Formally, the new regulations are aimed at individuals who evade criminal or administrative penalties; however, in reality, they create a mechanism for the “civil execution” of political opponents.

The prosecutor general’s office will maintain a public registry of such citizens. Individuals listed in it may be deprived of the right to obtain foreign passports, renounce russian citizenship, use the “gosuslugi” portal, manage funds and property in russia, and receive most consular and notarial services abroad.

The law applies not only to convicted individuals but also to those subject to administrative liability under articles concerning the “discrediting” of the army, calls for sanctions, violations of the “territorial integrity” of the rf, as well as under legislation regarding “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations”. This creates a legal basis for systemic pressure on russians who are being persecuted for political reasons.

There was virtually no debate on the draft laws in parliament. state duma speaker vyacheslav volodin called emigrants who criticize the government “traitors” and “freaks”, presenting the new restrictions as a tool to fight those who “harm russia”.

However, not all criminals are equally dangerous to russia’s authorities. The duma has expanded the list of convicts who are allowed to be released from prisons by signing a contract to participate in the war against Ukraine. The list now includes 11 additional articles of the criminal code, including banditry, participation in criminal groups, organizing illegal migration, and smuggling drugs, strategic goods, and radioactive materials.