New bill would make Russian lawmakers subject to conscription

Source: RIA Novosti

State Duma deputies from the party A Just Russia have introduced a new bill that would abolish the draft deferral granted to Federation Council members and State Duma deputies, party leader Sergey Mironov said on Monday.

The bill also proposes conscripting employees of Russia’s federal security agencies such as Rosgvardia, the FSB, the SVR, the military prosecutor’s office, and the Investigative Committee on a priority basis.

In addition, the bill’s authors suggest granting deferrals to people caring for close relatives on a permanent basis and people serving as guardians to their minor siblings.


Thinking inside the box

Increasingly desperate for manpower in recent months, Russian authorities have started tapping a “resource” the country has plenty of: prisoners. If you think that sounds like it would have obvious drawbacks, you’re right.