Stuff They Don't Want You To Know CLASSIC: Putin's Strange New Law
Mar 31, 2026
A proposed Russian law would give former presidents lifetime immunity for acts before, during, and after their term. They examine linked bills creating lifetime senate seats and how those rules could lock in power. The hosts consider timing, international limits, and whether such moves prepare for a controlled transition away from current leadership.
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Lifetime Immunity Law Covers Everything
- Russia proposed lifetime immunity for any (current or former) president covering acts before, during, and after office.
- The bill allows parliament to lift immunity for high treason with a two thirds vote, but that threshold is politically constrained by Kremlin loyalists.
Lifetime Senate Seats Secure Political Cover
- Putin can appoint lifetime senators under a companion bill, effectively stacking the upper chamber with allies.
- The president can appoint up to seven lifetime senators, creating a mechanism to secure the two thirds needed to remove immunity votes.
Immunity Retroactivity Shields Prepresidential Acts
- The immunity retroactively shields crimes committed before a presidency, which is significant given Putin's KGB past.
- That retroactivity means a president is legally untouchable for earlier clandestine acts once the law is in force.