Russia Expands Legal Grounds for Military Intervention as Hybrid Pressure Rises in Baltic

The Kremlin chose a symbolic date — the anniversary of the occupation of Crimea — to revive one of its favorite hybrid warfare tools, this time in a legislative form. The Russian government has submitted amendments to the laws “On Citizenship” and “On Defense” to the State Duma, granting Vladimir Putin the authority to deploy the army to “protect” Russian citizens who are under arrest or criminal prosecution by decisions of foreign courts, including those whose jurisdiction is not based on international treaties with Moscow. In simple terms, any court ruling deemed inconvenient by the Kremlin could now serve as...