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Duma upholds amendment to empower president to protect Russians from foreign persecution

The initiative was drafted and submitted to the lower house of parliament by members of the State Duma, including its Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and the leaders of its factions

MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Russia’s State Duma on Tuesday upheld an amendment empowering the Russian president to protect Russian citizens from unlawful decisions made by foreign or international organizations.

The amendments are being made ahead of a second reading of a government bill that allows all military servicemen who have received prior special training to take part in peacekeeping activities.

It is proposed to supplement the bill with a new article introducing amendments to the law On Security. The president will be empowered to take measures for the protection of Russia and its citizens in case foreign or international organizations make decisions or take action to the detriment of the interests or fundamental principles of Russia’s public law and order.

The initiative was drafted and submitted to the lower house of parliament by members of the State Duma, including its Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and the leaders of its factions.

The Duma speaker issued instructions to draft these amendments at a meeting on introducing amendments to Russia’s legislation prohibiting the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the territory of Russia.

On March 17, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and presidential commissioner for children's rights Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of "illegal deportation" of Ukrainian children. Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow did not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the ICC decisions did not have any significance for Russia and that possible arrest warrants were legally null and void.

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Russia's domestic policy

Military operation in Ukraine

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