July 29, 2026

The Useless Red Passport


The Useless Red Passport
What is it good for? Pressphoto

The State Duma has passed laws imposing restrictions on Russians who have left the country, according to the BBC Russian Service.

Emigrants will have their bank accounts frozen and will be prohibited from: using a power of attorney to engage in legal transaction; receiving virtually all consular services (including applying for a new passport, registering a marriage, and changing their name); accessing government services and bank accounts remotely; using electronic signatures; and obtaining loans. In other words, individuals will no longer have access to most of the opportunities and benefits they hold as Russian citizens.

“I view this bill as effectively a deprivation of citizenship," wrote Yevgeny Smirnov, lawyer of the human rights project First Department. "Yes, formally, citizenship will remain, but the person will be stripped of all the rights that a citizen possesses.”

The measures will apply to those who are living abroad and are “evading” punishment under any article of the Criminal Code or ignoring administrative fines under a number of political articles; that is, not all emigrants, but those who are already being persecuted in Russia.

Yet any Russian citizen abroad will be forced to watch what they say. Because if certain words are heard by the state, said citizen can be added to a special list, and their Russian passport may lose its power the next day. This means the new law is not merely revenge against “traitors” or the legalized confiscation of property, but yet another measure of intimidation and an attempt to silence people, even if they are outside the country.

The Ministry of Justice will be responsible for compiling and publishing the list of individuals subject to the new restrictions. Is it possible to get off the list once you’re on it? Of course; all you have to do is return to the country. Want to sell the car you left behind in Russia, get the utility bills for your property, or pay the caregiver of your dying parent? Just come back and spend a little time in jail.

 

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