Andrey Kartapolov, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia], announced his plan to introduce legislation exempting contract servicemen who have spent at least six months fighting in the war with Ukraine from conscription, calling such an exemption "absolutely fair."
the Voronezh region, authorities announced they would double the payment to "public assistants to the army" who recruit contract soldiers for military service, raising it from 75,000 rubles [$820], which was set in November 2024, to 150,000 rubles [$1,650].
Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, a group of lawmakers introduced a bill to the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] that proposes granting amnesty to various categories of citizens. Among those eligible would be individuals who "took part in combat to defend the homeland […] or served in states where combat took place," as well as those who participated in the invasion of Ukraine. However, the bill excludes suspects, defendants and convicts charged under articles related to failure to obey orders, going AWOL, desertion and self-harm.
Lawmakers have proposed stiffer penalties for certain crimes committed "for profit or hire." Irina Yarovaya and Vasily Piskaryov, members of the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia], have introduced a bill to raise the maximum sentence for calling for sanctions from three to five years and for "assisting the implementation of anti-Russian decisions by international organizations" from five to seven years. Moreover, the authors seek to eliminate the current requirement stipulating that individuals can only face criminal prosecution for "discrediting the Russian army" or calling for sanctions against Russia if they have previously received an administrative penalty for a similar offense. The proposed changes would...
Russia’s federal government has introduced three bills to the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] that could significantly streamline the process for labeling an organization as extremist, the Kommersant daily newspaper reports. One of the bills proposes amending both the article on organizing extremist activities and the law on countering extremism. It would grant authorities the power to declare any group extremist—regardless of its format or membership size—based solely on a single conviction of one of its members. The bill authors have also proposed harsher penalties for inciting hatred or enmity if perpetrators "justify or promote violence or commit the act as a group." If lawmakers pass the bills...
Many large state-owned and private companies are no longer able to secure mobilization exemption certificates for their employees, journalist Farida Rustamova reports, citing sources at major firms. Earlier coverage indicated that existing certificates would expire on March 21, 2025, and officials planned to tighten the rules for new ones. A classified government decree has reduced the number of organizations allowed to apply for these documents. Rustamova notes that it removes eligibility from businesses engaged in "activities that ensure the population’s livelihood in wartime." That vague provision previously enabled many large firms—from banks and retailers to bread producers—to protect their employees from the draft. Authorities...
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has drafted amendments to the Regulation on Military Medical Examination, proposing substantial revisions to the List of Diseases, that serves as the basis for assessing the health of potential conscripts and those serving under contract or mobilization. The draft amendments would shift conscripts suffering from syphilis in the primary, secondary or latent stages from service fitness category "V" (partially fit for military service) to "B-4" (fit for military service with minor restrictions). The Russian Armed Forces usually exempt the former, defined as partially fit for military service, but draft individuals under all “B” categories. Conscripts with first-stage hypertension would move to "B-3" instead...
Lawmakers in the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] have introduced a bill that would add a new ground for leaving military service when a fourth or subsequent child is born. They propose to amend the third paragraph of Part 3, Article 51, of the Military Conscription and Military Service Act. Currently, contract soldiers with four or more dependent children can request discharge on "family circumstances," but only if their commanding officers permit it. By contrast, mobilized soldiers rarely receive that option. If the bill passes, fathers of four children—whether contract or mobilized—will gain a legal right to be discharged. Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, has endorsed the proposal...
The Vyorstka media outlet, citing sources in Moscow’s city administration, reports that the number of volunteers willing to go to war has significantly declined in the capital. According to the outlet, while an average of 200–250 people per day visited the recruitment center in late summer and fall of 2024, the current number has dropped to 40. Additionally, the composition of Moscow’s new recruits has reportedly changed: now, less than half of the volunteers are Russian citizens, while the rest are foreigners or Russian nationals under investigation, facing administrative cases, or being sued over debts. Among the foreign recruits are citizens of neighboring countries—Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and the unrecognized...
Military authorities may soon be able to call up conscripts outside regular campaigns if a newly endorsed federal bill becomes law. This amendment to the Military Conscription and Military Service Act stipulates that "a conscription decision that was not carried out during the campaign in which it was made must be executed within one year from the date of its issuance." The measure would apply retroactively to draft board decisions from the fall 2024 conscription campaign. Bill author Andrey Kartapolov, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia], stated that more than 11,000 such decisions remain unfulfilled. Speaking to Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian...