The Russian government submitted a bill to the State Duma [lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly] that would establish voluntary post-release probation for ex-convicts returning from the war against Ukraine. The government previously endorsed the Justice Ministry's initiative, which offers social reintegration, psychological and medical care, and help securing employment and education after military service. The legislation keeps probation voluntary, rejecting the Interior Ministry's proposal to make it mandatory for up to three years.
The government introduced a bill in the State Duma [lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly] allowing the deployment of the military abroad to "protect" Russians in the event of their arrest. Specifically, it proposes deploying the Russian Armed Forces "to carry out tasks using weapons outside their intended purpose" to protect Russian citizens facing prosecution by foreign and international courts whose jurisdiction is not based on a treaty with Russia or a UN Security Council resolution. The document states that the bill aims "to protect the rights of citizens of the Russian Federation."
The Russian government endorsed a Ministry of Justice bill that would allow convicts who joined the war to undergo voluntary probation upon returning from service—a resocialization and social adaptation program. After discharge from military service, the program would provide psychological and medical assistance, employment support, and access to education. To enroll in post-penitentiary probation, service members returning from the frontline would need to submit an application to the penal inspection service, which would assess their "individual need" for resocialization. The Interior Ministry had proposed making probation mandatory for three years for such individuals, but the Ministry of Justice declined, arguing that the measure...
The plan to recruit students from the Russian State University for the Humanities into unmanned systems troops is 200 people, the outlet T-invariant reports, citing a source at the university. The timeframe for fulfilling the plan has not been specified. According to the source, the task was set for the institute and faculty heads by the university’s vice-rector for academic affairs, Pavel Shkarenkov, during a meeting. The outlet notes that in recent years the Russian State University for the Humanities has been actively building cooperation with the GROM Kaskad unmanned aviation brigade and has regularly sent drones and other aid to the frontline. Students are also involved in these activities. Earlier reports indicated that...
The State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] passed a bill that allows private security companies guarding critical infrastructure to temporarily obtain military-grade small arms to defend against drones. The legislation grants this right to private security firms established by fuel and energy companies, strategic enterprises, state corporations, natural monopolies and organizations protecting critical facilities. Rosgvardia [the Russian National Guard] will issue the weapons, which the security contractors must return within two weeks after their protection agreements expire or at the agency's request. The bill also expands the arsenal available to private security forces. In addition to less-lethal and civilian...
The Russian Ministry of Defense drafted a bill that would allow the president to send military personnel abroad to "protect Russian citizens" in the event of their arrest. The proposal would amend citizenship and defense laws. The Interfax news agency reports that the government legislative commission has already endorsed the bill. Officials developed the measure to protect the rights of Russians facing arrest, criminal prosecution or other forms of legal action under the rulings of foreign or international courts that do not stem from a treaty with Russia or a United Nations Security Council resolution. In late 2025, Putin banned the enforcement of such court decisions in Russia. This category of courts includes the International...
Vladimir Putin signed a law prohibiting the extradition of foreign nationals and stateless individuals to other countries for criminal prosecution or to serve a sentence if they have signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, completed contract military service or participated in combat.
Vladimir Putin signed a decree setting the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces at 2,391,770 personnel, of which 1,502,604 are service members. This represents an increase of 2,604 military personnel. The previous decree, signed in September 2024, set the authorized strength at 2,389,130 personnel, including 1,500,000 service members. In December 2023, the size of the armed forces was increased to 2,209,130 personnel, including 1,320,000 service members. One month before the start of mobilization in August 2022, Putin increased the size of the RuAF by 137,000 personnel, bringing the total to 2,390,000, including 1,150,000 service members.
In 2025, Russian banks granted 244,000 payment holidays to participants in the war against Ukraine and their family members, according to Central Bank data analyzed by Mediazona [independent Russian media outlet]. The peak came in the third quarter, when 69,000 such benefits were issued. In the fourth quarter, the figure declined to 62,500. Since the program was launched following the announcement of mobilization in September 2022, more than 720,000 payment holidays have been granted, covering loans worth over 342 billion rubles [$4 billion]. Under the law, payment holidays cannot be issued for loans taken out after a serviceman has been deployed to the frontline. As a result, the statistics indirectly reflect the number of new contract...
Russia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection plans to expand the list of professions for alternative civilian service by adding 363 new roles, such as concertmaster, forester, educational psychologist, meteorologist, disability rehabilitation specialist and mail carrier. The Federal Service for Labor and Employment reports that more than 2,000 people perform alternative service annually, with participation reaching 2,439 in the first half of 2025 and 2,722 as of Aug. 1.