Russia’s State Duma Advances Bill to Freeze Assets, Block Bank Transfers of Russians Who Criticize Authorities Abroad
The Russian State Duma approved amendments to a bill targeting Russians abroad who evade sentences, enabling asset freezes and bank transfer blocks. The second reading is set for July 22.
The lower house of Russia’s parliament, the State Duma, has greenlit amendments to the bill “On Temporary Restrictive Measures Against Persons Located Outside the Russian Federation Who Are Evading a Sentence.” This legislation applies to Russian citizens convicted in both criminal and administrative cases. The approved amendments are intended to make punishment “inevitable.”
The set of two bills passed its first reading in December 2025, with the second reading scheduled for July 22. Originally slated to take effect on March 1, 2026, the version prepared for the second reading moves the effective date to the moment of official publication.
Lawmakers also added provisions to recover court costs and damages from frozen funds or from a special account where income from those subject to the law would be deposited—a measure absent in the first reading.
Amendments introduced for the second reading require banks to block app and online account access for “persons located outside the Russian Federation who are evading the execution of a sentence,” prohibiting them from making money transfers. The earlier version only broadly banned “the use of remote banking systems at credit institutions on the territory of the Russian Federation.”
The updated text also tightens restrictions on real estate transactions. While the earlier version called for suspending cadastral registration of property, the new text specifies that Rosreestr must return relevant documents without review.
Under the amendments, the Justice Ministry—not the Prosecutor General and his deputies—will maintain the registry of “persons located outside the Russian Federation who are evading the execution of a sentence.”
