If Russia launches a missile strike against Europe, one of its first targets could be the International Criminal Court.
By Tolib Aliyev, analyst, especially for Sangar
On May 13, 2026, deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation approved, in both the second and third readings, a government-sponsored bill authorizing the use of the Russian Armed Forces to protect Russian citizens in the event of their arrest, criminal prosecution, or other forms of legal action initiated by foreign courts operating without Russia’s participation.
The law also applies to international judicial bodies whose authority is not based on an international treaty to which Russia is a party or on a resolution of the United Nations Security Council.
Commenting on the need for the legislation, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin previously stated that Western justice systems had been transformed into a repressive mechanism used to punish dissenters.
“Under these circumstances, it is important to do everything possible to ensure that Russian citizens abroad are protected,” he said.
The legislation is aimed, in particular, at decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023, as well as judicial bodies established by other states without Moscow’s participation.
Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute and does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
Expert Andrei Klintsevich commented on the significance of the legislation as follows:
“In essence, this establishes the right to respond with force if a Russian citizen is targeted for arrest under an ICC warrant or by any other body whose jurisdiction Moscow does not recognize.”
As early as 2023, Vyacheslav Volodin stated that “the Supreme Commander-in-Chief must have the authority to take any necessary measures to protect our citizens whenever decisions made by international institutions contradict the norms of the Constitution.”
Volodin specifically referred to a U.S. law unofficially known as the “Hague Invasion Act,” under which no American citizen may be arrested or detained based on an ICC warrant. The act authorizes the use of military force to protect U.S. citizens abroad.
There is at least one notable example of how the United States has acted in similar circumstances.
American military forces conducted an operation in Africa that resulted in the rescue of a U.S. citizen who had been held captive in northern Nigeria. The U.S. State Department confirmed the operation. President Donald Trump described the rescue on Twitter as a “great victory for our special forces.”
