Russia tries to blackmail Europe and world with 'little green men' – intelligence
Amendments have been submitted to the State Duma to the laws "On Citizenship" and "On Defense," granting Russian dictator Vladimir Putin the authority to deploy the army to "protect" Russians who are under arrest or facing criminal prosecution based on decisions by foreign courts.
According to Ukrinform, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reported this on its website.
"The government of the Russian Federation has submitted to the state duma the amendments to the laws 'On citizenship' and 'On defense,' which grant Putin the right to deploy the army to 'protect' Russian citizens who are under arrest or facing criminal prosecution based on decisions by foreign courts, particularly those whose jurisdiction is not based on international treaties with Moscow," the statement said.
In simpler terms, any verdict by any court that the Kremlin finds inconvenient can now serve as a formal pretext for a military operation abroad, the agency explained.
"The authors of the draft law present it as a logical extension of the law 'On security' – specifically regarding responses to 'hostile actions by foreign states.' The document does not specify what exactly constitutes a hostile action or what the 'protection' of arrested Russians would look like in practice. The deliberate vagueness of the wording here is clearly an advantage, not a flaw," the statement noted.
The Foreign Intelligence Service emphasized that this legislative maneuver is taking place against the backdrop of a more practical operation on the northern flank.
"On February 18, the previously dormant 'Narva Republic' channel resurfaced on Estonian social media – with an audience of about 700 followers and familiar content: the oppression of Russian speakers, demands for autonomy for Ida-Virumaa, and threats of a 'full-scale armed conflict' in case of refusal," the agency said.
As noted, the choice of geography was not accidental — Ida-Viru County borders Russia.
The agency added that Estonia's Internal Security Service assessed the operation succinctly: cheap and lacking originality.
"Similar tactics have been used before – both in Estonia and in other countries. It is a simple way to provoke and intimidate society," the statement said. Analysts classify the campaign as a psychological operation aimed at increasing anxiety in Baltic societies.
At the same time, Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna responded to signals from Moscow by delivering his own message: in the event of an attack on the Baltic states, the war would be brought onto Russian territory.
"The Kremlin has chosen a symbolic date – the anniversary of the occupation of Crimea – to revive its favorite tools of hybrid warfare. This time, they're wrapped up in legislation," the Foreign Intelligence Service concluded.
As reported earlier, on December 24 last year, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that if "little green men" crossed the Russian-Estonian border, Estonia would shoot them.