Medvedev says the government is finally ready to talk about raising Russia's retirement age

It’s finally time for the federal government to submit a proposal for raising Russia’s retirement age, acting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the State Duma on Tuesday, pointing out that the country’s current system was established in the 1930s. “Life in this country has changed substantially since then, of course for the better,” Medvedev said, adding that “the conditions, opportunities, desire to work, and active years of people’s lives have changed.” The acting prime minister said the government will submit its reform plan in the near future.

Today, men in Russia can receive state pensions at 60 and women can retire at 55. Despite repeated warnings from state officials over the years that the country’s current pension program is unsustainable, the government has refused to entertain the idea of raising the retirement age. Beginning last year, the government started gradually increasing the pension age for civil servants and the minimum amount of employee tenure needed to claim a pension.