The Russian government’s legislative commission has endorsed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that would bar the extradition of foreign citizens and stateless persons who sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. The change would shield them from criminal prosecution or sentence execution in other countries. Experts interviewed by the independent Russian investigative media outlet Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories] suggest this move has dual aims: recruiting foreigners facing criminal prosecution abroad into the Russian Armed Forces and protecting foreign contract soldiers from liability for war crimes they may commit during their service. The government also prepared two additional bills affecting the status of these foreign...
Members of the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] proposed simplifying the admission process to military academies for applicants who failed to enroll in civilian universities, in order to address cadet shortfalls. The lawmakers suggest that if vacancies exist, applicants should be allowed to submit documents without an initial selection. This would enable these applicants to quickly become cadets. The Voyennye Advokaty [Military Lawyers] Telegram channel notes that young men automatically become "conscripted servicemen" upon entering a military academy, unlike a civilian university. Furthermore, they must sign a contract after they turn 18, though not before the end of their first year. Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories...
Vladimir Putin signed a decree expanding monthly compensation payments previously limited to contract soldiers participating in the war against Ukraine. The decree extends these payments to military personnel performing tasks "to repel an armed invasion onto Russian territory" and operating "in Russian regions bordering the zones of the special military operation." The decree takes effect immediately and is retroactive to Aug. 6, 2024.
Vladimir Putin signed the bill on "year-round conscription" into law. Conscription activities, including medical commissions and data check-ups, will now run throughout the year. The law, effective Jan. 1, 2026, will not change the existing dispatch periods, which remain from April 1 to July 15 and from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Furthermore, the appearance date on a draft notice posted in the Draft Register cannot exceed 30 days from its publication.
Russia's Ministry of Labor is proposing to make it easier for unemployed or job-seeking veterans of the war against Ukraine to access one-time government grants for opening their own business. The proposal involves amendments to the Law on State Social Assistance, which provides up to 350,000 rubles [$4,330] for starting a business and an additional 30,000 rubles [$370] for a three-month training course. Unlike other applicants, veterans would not need to meet a low-income requirement to secure the grant. To qualify, they would need to hold veteran status, be discharged from military service, be registered with the employment service, and obtain a recommendation from the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund. Service members with first...
The Federation Council [upper house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] approved a bill on "year-round conscription." If Putin signs it, the changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
Vladimir Putin signed several bills into law. The changes, among other things:
Russia’s Ministry of Defense is launching an initiative to optimize economic and administrative processes outside combat operations, RBC [Russian media group] reports, citing sources. The effort to gradually phase out paper orders and logs will involve reorganizing document flow, state defense order procurement and repair processes for equipment and armaments. Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov created a "department for increasing the efficiency of activities" tasked with improving communication between units, reducing paperwork and eliminating non-core and redundant functions. This should, for example, accelerate military construction, medical services and the receipt of benefits for military personnel or their family members.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense plans to deploy reservists to protect civilian infrastructure from drone attacks deep inside the country’s territory. This is the explanation offered (1, 2) during a briefing on the federal bill that would allow the use of personnel from the mobilization reserve for defense tasks during peacetime and without declaring mobilization. According to Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, Deputy Head of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense would send reservists to special "training courses" to guard energy, transport, and oil refining facilities, as well as other life-support infrastructure, if a corresponding presidential decree were issued. Tsimlyansky...
In a second reading, the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] approved a bill on "year-round conscription." Medical examinations, psychological screenings and draft board meetings would run continuously from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, rather than only during the current spring and fall campaigns. The dispatch of conscripts to their units, however, will remain within the established windows of April 1 to July 15 and Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Lawmakers introduced amendments ahead of the second reading stipulating that the appearance date on a draft notice posted in the Draft Register must not exceed 30 days from its publication, and the draft notices themselves should be enforceable nationwide.