The State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] approved a bill in second and third readings in a single session that would grant war participants the right to obtain a second vocational education tuition-free in a new field. Lawmakers are also considering another bill to provide a similar benefit to surviving spouses of service members. Meanwhile, universities and trade schools already allocate 10 percent of all state-funded places to participants in the war against Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Labor announced that the recent legislative changes extending a social program to former participants in the war against Ukraine will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Unemployed veterans and those seeking work will be able to sign a one-time social contract to launch a business and receive a grant of up to 350,000 rubles [$4,500] and up to 30,000 rubles [$390] for a three-month training course. Unlike other applicants, these former service members will not need to show that their income falls below the subsistence minimum. Instead, they will need to hold war participant status, be discharged from service, register with the employment agency, and secure a recommendation from the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund.
In Moscow, Danil Zimin, an activist from the Yabloko party [Russia's social-liberal political party], has been detained and conscripted into the army within one day. The young man had previously been detained on Oct. 31 but was released that same day after asserting his right to alternative civilian service. Although a court of first instance upheld the draft office’s refusal to grant him this right, Zimin filed an appeal, so the verdict has not yet taken effect. On the morning of Nov. 28, police detained Zimin once more. He was taken to a draft office and fined for failing to report after receiving a draft notice. Then, he was sent to the Unified Military Recruitment Center on Yablochkova Street, and later, to the military collection...
A draft set of amendments has been published that would revise the rules for granting draft deferrals to employees of accredited IT companies. Under the proposal, a draft deferral would be available to employees with at least 11 months of work experience during the year preceding their call-up and who hold a university degree in one of the approved fields, as well as to recent graduates who sign an employment contract within one year of receiving their diploma. The draft also clarifies the procedure for submitting information to MinTsifry [the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia]. Under the proposed rules, employees would be able to upload their own data, which companies would then verify and submit...
The Russian government has introduced a bill in the State Duma [lower house of the Federal Assembly] that would establish special sentencing procedures for foreigner nationals and stateless persons who serve under contract and take part in combat with the Russian Armed Forces. This bill would effectively prohibit the extradition of such individuals, replacing it with mandatory labor or fines ranging from 1,000 to 50,000 rubles [$13-$640].
In the Kuedinsky district of the Perm region, the payment for recruiting a contract soldier was raised from the 200,000 rubles [$2,520] introduced on Nov. 1 of this year to 250,000 rubles [$3,150] for each person who signs a contract. The bonus applies if the contract is signed by a resident of another region, a foreign national or a stateless person at recruitment centers or draft offices in the Chernushinsky and Kuedinsky districts.
On Nov. 20, the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] approved a bill in its first reading that would authorize employees of the Central Bank and the Russian Association of Cash Collection to combat Ukrainian drones. The proposed legislation would grant bank personnel and cash transit guards the right to suppress attacks and prevent impending strikes involving aerial, ground, underwater, surface and other automated unmanned systems on guarded facilities within Moscow-controlled territory. Under the new rules, the Central Bank and the collection association would independently determine the protocols for neutralizing drones to defend their properties and designate the specific personnel authorized to make those decisions.
The government endorsed a bill prohibiting employers from dismissing employees returning from mobilization, military contract service, or volunteer units during periods of mobilization, martial law, or wartime. The bill would amend Article 179 of the Russian Labor Code, a statute that already prioritizes retaining disabled war veterans, workers with families, and the spouses of mobilized soldiers when qualifications are equal. The new protection would apply for one year starting from the date an employment contract resumes. Although the Cabinet approved the initiative, it requested clarification on the wording and the timeline for enactment.
The government introduced a bill to the State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] that would require employers to provide 35 days of extra unpaid leave to employees who are combat veterans.
The Federation Council [upper house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] has approved a bill lowering the age of criminal liability for sabotage from 16 to 14 years. One can read more about the initiative here.