State Duma amended laws on state secrets and procedures for countries leaving

A group of deputies of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption submitted a draft amendment to the laws “On State Secrets” and “On the Procedure for Exiting the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation”, which clarify, among other things, the rules on admission to state secrets.

According to the document, access to state secrets may be denied if a citizen or his close relatives have accounts and deposits in foreign banks outside the Russian Federation, real estate abroad, in the case of using foreign financial instruments. At the same time, according to the chairman of the State Duma Committee, Vasily Piskarev, the draft provides that citizens who are restricted in their right to travel abroad due to access to state secrets will be able to temporarily leave the Russian Federation for humanitarian reasons, for example, in connection with the death of close relatives or the need for emergency treatment.

In addition, the powers of the President of Russia and the country’s government to determine the procedure for admitting officials to state secrets are specified. Thus, the head of state is empowered to choose the method for ensuring the regime of secrecy in the administration of the President of the Russian Federation. In turn, the Cabinet of Ministers will be able to establish the procedure for registration, re-registration, and termination of the admission of officials and citizens of the Russian Federation to state secrets, introduce a system for ensuring secrecy in Russia, and also issue acts on issues related to the departure of Russians admitted to state secrets from the country.

Vasily Piskarev noted that in the conditions of the special military operation, there is an increased interest of foreign intelligence services in Russian state secrets and in Russian civil servants who are aware of them, and the proposed amendments will help both in ensuring state security and in protecting our citizens from criminal encroachments by foreign special services.

Author: Azat Gizzatullin