Russia's Parliament Gives Approval For Sanctions Compensation

Russia's parliament has given preliminary approval to a bill granting compensation to those affected by Western sanctions. The bill also allows the government to seize the assets in Russia of countries that have imposed the sanctions. In a partisan vote on Wednesday, the main Kremlin-backed party struggled to win over the compliant members of Russia's token opposition, who voted almost in agreement against the bill in a 233 to 202 vote. The law, which would allow individuals affected by property seizures outside Russia to be compensated from the Russian budget, was first proposed to parliament in April but withdrawn after being blasted in a government memo as being against international law and the Russian constitution.