In the conditions when the Russian army is fighting in Ukraine, and the sanctions threaten to “drop” the economy, many are afraid that in Russia they will introduce martial law, and the deposits of Russians will be taken to the needs of the state. Is it possible?

After Russia recognized the DPR and LPR, about the confiscation of property of citizens He spoke State Duma deputy Nikolai Arefiev. “If all the funds that are abroad are blocked, then the government will not have a different way out, except to impose an arrest on all deposits of the population,” he said, alarming the Russians. But while the rhetoric about departure of property is mainly directed towards the unfriendly West, and not its own citizens. February 28, deputy head of the Council of People's Commissars Dmitry Medvedev threatened The arrest of foreigners in Russia - as a mirror measure against the West, where the money of citizens of the Russian Federation who fell under sanctions is arrested. And the head of the Russia Today channel Margarita Simonyan Offered Nationalize IKEA warehouses when the store announced his closure in Russia. After the ban on air travel in many European countries of the Ministry of Transport He spoke On the nationalization of foreign aircraft that are in Russia in the leasing.

What is said in the Law on Martial Protection?

Grounds for the introduction of martial law registered In the relevant law, they are related to the attack of a foreign state: this is a military invasion or its threat, bombing of the territory of Russia and other hostile actions of other countries. Martial law gives the president even more power than he has in peacetime. In a situation of martial law, the state has right To cancel the elections, to strictly control the work of the media, to ban mass events, to introduce a commandant hour, to limit the entry and departure from the country. There is such a paragraph there: “The seizure of property necessary for the needs of property and citizens necessary for the needs of the property with the subsequent payment of the value of the amount of seized property for the needs of the seized property”. This is a vague wording, which nevertheless allows you to take the property of the inhabitants.

Also in the law indicatedthat during martial law, “measures related to the introduction of temporary restrictions on the implementation of economic and financial activities, the circulation of property, the free movement of goods, services and financial resources are possible.

In what other cases can the state take away property?

Martial law in modern Russia has not yet been introduced, but the exposure of property from citizens has been taking place more than once. The fear that their banking deposits will probably be caused by the Russians with memories of 1992. Then the deposits of Soviet citizens in Sberbank burned out as a result of “shock therapy” and hyperinflation. Technically, no one took these deposits - they simply depreciated. However, this is an extra reason for those who remember the beginning of the 1990s to fear for their money. This is probably why people are nervous reactedWhen, at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the chairman of the Accounts Chamber Kudrin said: money on deposits in banks could help the state and credit organizations survive a difficult time. Financial portals even had to analyze this statement and explain: Kudrin did not mean that citizens will take their savings from citizens.

Then, in the first year of the Pandemia, when everyone discussed the influence of the Locks on the economy, the Central Bank on his Facebook page published a historical text about the removal of citizens' deposits during the Great Patriotic War. The text had to be deleted, and instead, posting an explanation: “Unfortunately, many interpreted it incorrectly. To avoid further speculation, we deleted this post. ”

According to the current legislation of the Russian Federation, the seizure or confiscation of property is possible only by court decision. And such confiscations also regularly occur: for example, if the road should go where there is someone’s house, or on the site of summer cottages they are going to build a new city quarter. Law suggests Cash compensation for such real estate.

But such cases still cause scandals: for example, this happened during the preparation of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Then the houses and gardens of the inhabitants of the Imereti lowland were equal to the ground: in this place the Sochi Olympic Park is now. Demolitions Touched About 5000 people. In return to residents Offered Transfer them to other plots of land. And the Sochi in response insistedthat their property in the payment of compensation is evaluated too cheap.

However, even a court decision is not always necessary. For example, the law on the police Allows The police "use" vehicles of organizations, and in emergency cases (for example, pursuit of a criminal) even personal cars of citizens. The accumulative part of the pension has been “frozen” for eight years: it has been paying for current pensioners. And this will remain at least until 2024 - the State Duma regularly prolongs frost. And on March 8, the Central Bank of Russia limited Issuing currency from the accounts of Russians. Now from foreign exchange bills people can withdraw no more than $ 10,000, the rest is only in rubles. This is not freezing and not confiscation, but in fact, citizens cannot use their money as they want.

So the state of citizens can select (or limit its use) both using the martial law regime and without it. If martial law in the new Russia has not yet been, then the exposure of property on various scale has happened more than once.