A bill has been submitted to the Russian parliament that would allow authorities to confiscate property from Russians who have left the country. Although the bill took an unusual route to the Duma floor, it has a good chance of passing and may have been ordered by the Kremlin.
Unlike most bills, this measure was not introduced by a group of parliamentarians in the State Duma or the Federal Upper Council, but by the oil-rich, Muslim-majority region of Tatarstan. Deputies of Tatarstan’s regional parliaments first proposed this measure in spring 2023, but it was shelved for amendments. The updated version has now been returned to the National Duma and has received a positive response from the government. The Tatar parliament said the initiative was necessary because since the start of the war in Ukraine, there had been numerous cases of Russians based abroad “acting against the Foundation.” The bill would allow Russians abroad to be held accountable for any crimes against Russian interests. They include “discrediting” the military, calling for the introduction of sanctions against Russia, insulting the authorities, and violating Russia’s territorial integrity (in effect, calling for the return of occupied territory to Ukraine). (meaning that it is), would include sharing material “falsities”. The term “information” can be interpreted very broadly. All of these are proposed as administrative crimes and would not result in long prison sentences, but part of the penalties would include giving authorities the right to seize the property of Russian exiles. Lawyers say it’s not entirely clear what this means in practice. Under current Russian law, the property seized must not exceed the amount of the fine imposed for the crime and must not exceed 100,000 rubles ($1,040). Experts believe that authorities will most likely seize funds from bank accounts.
Why the world should pay attention:
This bill should not be viewed as a regional initiative that somehow made its way onto the national stage. Apparently, the idea came from the top and was introduced by the region to demonstrate broad support. As a general rule, less than 10% of local bills become law, and most of them are unimportant technical proposals. But another example of significant legislation from the region is the first ban on LGBT propaganda directed at teenagers.
