The kremlin Plans to Seize the Assets of “Foreign Agents”

The state duma of the rf has passed a law in both the second and third readings which allows for the administrative prosecution in absentia of citizens residing abroad and the seizure of their assets for publicly criticizing russian authorities. The list of “offenses” includes calls for sanctions, abuse of freedom of the press, publicly equating the actions and decisions of the soviet leadership with those of Nazi Germany, and others. The document expands the list of grounds for prosecuting relocants, details the mechanisms for confiscating their assets, and legalizes the in absentia consideration of such administrative cases.

The state duma’s committee on state building and legislation has finalized a draft law that introduces administrative prosecution in absentia of citizens residing abroad and the seizure of their property for publicly criticizing russian authorities.

With these initiatives, against the background of the protracted war against Ukraine, authorities of the rf seek to minimize the informational and political influence of those who have relocated, as well as to create additional risks for them if they have assets in russia. According to different estimates, 600,000 to 900,000 russians have left the rf and remain abroad since the start of the full-scale invasion. At the same time, as of May 2026, the kremlin had already added more than 1,200 individuals and legal entities to the official register of “foreign agents”. Thus, the repressive apparatus of the aggressor state has secured a powerful base of potential “clients”.

According to legal experts, the introduction of the aforementioned regulations creates the conditions for further erosion of legal guarantees of private property in russia. The authorities also gain the official ability to selectively apply legislation for political purposes, which can be used as an additional mechanism for seizing resources for the benefit of the state amid a growing budgetary burden. As of the end of April, the rf’s budget deficit exceeded 5.877 trillion rubles (approximately 2.5% of GDP).