Russia’s parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to expand President Vladimir Putin’s power to invade foreign countries.
If approved, the bill would let the Kremlin send troops abroad to “protect” Russian citizens who are facing arrest, detention, or any other form of perceived persecution.
“Western ‘justice’ has turned into a repressive machine used to punish those who disagree with the decisions imposed by Euro-bureaucrats,” State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in a statement.
Under these conditions, it is important to do everything possible to ensure that our citizens abroad are protected.”
Putin now has 14 days to sign the bill into law.
Moscow has previously justified its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 by claiming that it was protecting Russian-speaking regions of the country, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Russia still demands the reinstatement of the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine as part of any peace agreement.
Officials from the European Union have expressed concern that Putin will initiate a conflict with Europe within the next year or two to test the United States’ commitment to NATO.
This comes after the Pentagon canceled plans to temporarily deploy 4,000 US-based troops to Poland, two US officials said.
The decision, first reported by Army Times, came just two weeks after the Pentagon announced it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from NATO ally Germany, in part due to a widening rift over the Iran war between US President Donald Trump and Europe.
In December, Putin said that Russia was ready for war with Europe.
“If Europe suddenly wants to fight with us and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin said.
