Yevgeny Zamanov, a resident of Saint Petersburg, applied for a contract with the Ministry of Defense but later changed his mind. Despite this, someone signed the contract on his behalf and has been collecting his salary for the past six months. Zamanov decided to volunteer for the war in May, motivated by his girlfriend’s need for medical treatment funds. He submitted an application but later opted not to finalize the contract. In early December, he received a phone call from the draft board warning him to report voluntarily by Dec. 9 or be considered a deserter. Zamanov discovered that he was officially listed as a service member and that his personal account on the Ministry of Defense’s website showed that his salary payments had been...
The Committee on State Building and Legislation of the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] proposed adding a new article to the Criminal Code on "Assisting the Enemy in Activities Intentionally Directed against the Security of the Russian Federation." Lawmakers introduced this amendment ahead of the second reading of a bill aimed at toughening penalties for armed rebellion. The measure targets foreign nationals and stateless individuals operating from within Russia who provide financial, logistical, advisory or other forms of aid to the "enemy,” with penalties ranging from 10 to 15 years in prison. The authors of the amendments also expanded the definition of "defecting to the enemy" and proposed extending the...
Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs seeks to restrict attorneys’ access to police stations. Currently, internal documents determine the rules for accessing ministry facilities, and because federal legislation does not govern attorneys’ admission, they often encounter arbitrary restrictions. Under the new rules, officials might refuse defense attorneys access to assist individuals detained on administrative charges and to meet with witnesses, since the new draft directive does not list attorneys among those who may freely enter ministry facilities by presenting their credentials.
On Nov. 29, the State Council of Tatarstan [Russia’s constituent republic] introduced a bill to the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly], which seeks to implement mandatory testing in schools, colleges and universities to identify students prone to "extremism" and "terrorism." The proposal is allegedly a response to a surge in incidents in which students have attacked civilians and educational institutions and set fire to draft offices and railway infrastructure.
Russia’s Presidential Administration has begun instructing deputy governors on how to prepare citizens for the end of the war against Ukraine. The administration assumes that "the end of the special military operation will come, and it is important to be ready for it," wrote the Kommersant daily newspaper. Officials aim to shape public perception of the war's outcome as a victory. Regional authorities have been instructed to focus on convincing the "calm majority," rather than "angry patriots" or "liberals," that the war achieved Vladimir Putin’s stated goals: the "denazification" and "demilitarization" of Ukraine, along with the retention of "new territories." Additionally, the administration has urged regional governments...
Vladimir Putin has signed into law the federal budget for the years 2025-2027, which includes record-high military expenditures in Russia's modern history. The 2025 budget allocates 13.5 trillion rubles [$125 billion] to "national defense," accounting for over 40% of the government's total spending. Additionally, law enforcement agencies will receive 3.5 trillion rubles [$33 billion] in 2025. For more details, see our previous summaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
Putin has approved a list of 21 key performance indicators to assess regional governors. These KPIs include the birth rate, the satisfaction level of "veterans of the special military operation with conditions for medical rehabilitation, retraining and employment," as well as the "percentage of people engaged in volunteer activities."
The State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia] has passed a bill in its third and final reading that would empower authorities to conceal information about their operations if martial law is declared. The proposed changes grant the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Investigative Committee and various courts the authority to restrict public access to information regarding the actions of federal, regional and local authorities in areas under martial law.
Relatives of deceased military personnel may soon find it easier to claim inheritance rights under a proposed amendment to the Civil Code. The amendment would allow family members of soldiers killed in the war and relatives of civilians killed in territories affected by the "special military operation" to claim inheritance even after the six-month legal deadline has passed. They would be able to proceed without court involvement if they have a "valid reason" certified by the notary handling the inheritance case. The change aims to address delays in receiving death certificates for military personnel.
Vladimir Putin has increased the one-time payment for signing a contract to serve in the war as part of Rosgvardia [Russian National Guard] from 195,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles [from $1,880 to $3,850]. This increase applies to individuals signing contracts for the first time between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31 of this year. Federal authorities currently pay a similar amount to those who conclude a contract with the Ministry of Defense.