To make your place empty

The Duma has made another attempt to reach the property of political emigrants remaining in Russia

The Duma adopted in the second and third readings draft No. 743600-8 of the law on amending the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation “in terms of clarifying the rule for bringing to administrative responsibility a person who has committed an administrative offense outside the Russian Federation.” We are talking about fines against Russians who, while abroad, “commit offenses against the interests of Russia” - in other words, they openly speak out about what is happening here.

The draft was submitted to the Duma back in October 2024 by the State Council of Tatarstan and passed the first reading in May 2025. Such a lengthy preparation for consideration of a “topical” issue is apparently explained by the introduction of a competing bill, similar in content, to the Duma by a number of deputies. We will return to it later, but first, about the “Tatar version”.

The Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO RF) establishes the rules for its operation in space. Article 1.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses allows citizens of the country who are not in the Russian Federation to be held accountable only if they commit an offense on the territory of states with which the Russian Federation has maintained international agreements. Such agreements have been broken with most European countries where political emigrants have settled. The new law will supplement Art. 1.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses indicating the possibility

bring to administrative responsibility in absentia and regardless of the place where the offense was committed under a number of articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses, mainly those that appeared in the code or “came into fashion” after February 24, 2022 - for example, on discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Failure to comply with the requirements imposed in Russia on “foreign agents” will also be included in such cases, but the law threatens trouble not only for them, but also for everyone who raises their voice “over the hill.” The draft also establishes the procedure for trial in absentia under the relevant articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses, as is already widely used under political articles of the Criminal Code.

The homeland cannot reach the “relocants” themselves, unless they come to the Russian Federation for trial, as the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin slyly suggests to them. But some of them still have money accounts and real estate in Russia, which can be seized to ensure payment of a fine. Limitation of the volume of frozen property by the amount of the fine is provided for in the legislation only for legal entities

Therefore, the law “on relocants” implies that, regardless of the amount of the fine (the usual amount for individuals is 5-30 thousand rubles), all accounts and all property of the defaulter can be arrested.

An arrest may be imposed before the case is considered on the merits, and the court has the opportunity to delay making a final decision.

But sooner or later it will have to be endured, and then it turns out that in the mechanism invented by the State Council of Tatarstan, as happens in computer programs, there is a vulnerability. Anyone who has ever forgotten to pay a fine for violating traffic rules knows that after the expiration of the voluntary payment period, which is 60 days, the bailiffs simply write off the corresponding amount and penalties from your account - and that’s the end of it. In order to create serious problems, the “relocants” need to somehow convince the bailiffs not to do this so that the fine “hangs.”

But along with project No. 743600-8, which will become law after approval by the Federation Council and signing by the president, the Duma is waiting in the wings for bill No. 1095029-8 “On temporary restrictive measures against persons located outside the Russian Federation and evading punishment.” It was introduced by the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption Vasily Piskarev and a number of other deputies and successfully passed the first reading in December 2025.

This bill, partly echoing the already approved “Tatar” version, contains a wider range of measures in relation to those who left.

Thus, it is proposed to limit their consular services, which could create significant problems for them; they will be prohibited from any transactions in the Russian Federation, including by power of attorney, and all their property, including bank accounts, will be frozen.

This measure, of course, is “temporary” - in order to lift the bans, the “slanderers” are invited to return to the Russian Federation, that is, stick their heads in the noose themselves.

We will look at this bill in more detail when it reaches its second reading.