MOSCOW, December 15 (RAPSI) – President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law that extends the authority of the Constitutional Court and gives it the right to find it impossible to implement decisions of international courts on the territory of Russia if they contradict the Constitution, RIA Novosti reports Tuesday.

The legislation states that Russia’s Constitutional Court may decide whether to execute judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and other courts or not. "If the judgment is undermining the sovereignty of the country, Constitutional Court would solve the situation. This decision would take effect immediately, it may not be appealed," one of the bill authors, Vasily Likhachev, said earlier.

According to the law, Russian President, Government and Ministry of Justice would be granted a right to ask the Constitutional Court to review decisions of international courts.

Head of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation Andrei Klishas said earlier that the legislation can touch the ruling on the lawsuit by former Yukos shareholders against Russia.

Former Yukos shareholders seek to recover from Russia $50 bln awarded to them in 2014 by the Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Lawsuits against Russia were filed within several different countries.

Last June, France and Belgium seized property that, as they believe, belongs to Russia, pursuant to a ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in a lawsuit by former Yukos shareholders. According to the ruling, Russia must pay $50 billion. Russia has appealed the ruling.