Bloomberg on the rather ominous-looking new Russian legislation allowing the president to deploy armed forces in defence of Russian citizens wrongfully detained. I provide some explanations regarding the bill's possible aims and audience.

НАСТОЯЩИЙ МАТЕРИАЛ (ИНФОРМАЦИЯ) ПРОИЗВЕДЕН И (ИЛИ) РАСПРОСТРАНЕН ИНОСТРАННЫМ АГЕНТОМ [ФИО] ЛИБО КАСАЕТСЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИНОСТРАННОГО АГЕНТА [ФИО] НОРМА ПРИЗНАНА НЕЗАКОННОЙ РЕШЕНИЕМ ЕСПЧ

"While the actual impact of the measure remains unclear, the threat of military force could give Moscow another tool to pressure governments abroad.

“This bill looks like a direct threat to the International Criminal Court and other international and foreign legal entities that may take up cases against Russia and Russian officials,” said Ekaterina Schulmann, a political scientist at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin. “The message is pretty simple: if you try to detain any of our people, we can send in special forces.”

The legislation, which still has to pass parliament and be signed by the president to become law, may also be aimed at a domestic audience.

“It also helps to create at the same time a sense of external threat and internal protection among the Russian public,” said Schulmann. “The Kremlin is telling them, ‘the authorities will stand up for you’.”