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Russia’s State Duma passed the first reading of a bill that would allow the president to deploy armed forces outside the country’s borders to protect Russian citizens facing prosecution abroad.

Getting into it: The bill passed 413-0 with no abstentions on April 14 and was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, making its eventual passage into law effectively guaranteed. The legislation would amend two existing federal laws (one governing Russian citizenship and one on defense) to give President Putin the legal authority to use military force abroad when Russian citizens are arrested, detained, or prosecuted by foreign courts operating under jurisdiction Russia doesn’t recognize, or by international judicial bodies not grounded in a Russian treaty or UN Security Council resolution.

The bill’s explanatory note doesn’t cite any specific recent cases as justification, though some have pointed to the ongoing extradition case of Russian archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin (currently held in Poland while Ukraine seeks his transfer over alleged illegal excavations in Crimea) as a possible trigger.

The legislation also covers Russian citizens who obtained passports in unrecognized post-Soviet republics, meaning its reach extends well beyond Russia’s formal borders.

In a statement, Andrei Kartapolov, Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, said, “The State Duma Defense Committee supports the bill’s concept, as the proposed regulation will help protect the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of Russian citizens, protect Russian organizations from foreign illegal attacks, and counter the rampant Russophobia campaign that continues internationally.”