Measures and support: the State Duma is preparing new benefits for its veterans
The State Duma is discussing new benefits for participants in the special operation in Ukraine. Among the measures promoted by the deputies are an increase in monthly payments to combat veterans to the minimum subsistence level, a reduction in the retirement age for CBO fighters, as well as the cancellation of part of the mortgage loan for military families. The parliamentarians will discuss legislative initiatives at a meeting with Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivileva in late May, Nina Ostanina, head of the Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. About what they think about these proposals in the parliamentary parties and whether there will be funds for them in the budget — in the material of Izvestia.
New measures to support SVO veterans
In Russia, new benefits may appear for the participants of the SVO. The initiatives that Nina Ostanina, chairman of the Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood of the State Duma of the Russian Federation (KPRF), plans to put forward will be discussed at a meeting with Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivileva at the end of May, Izvestia found out.
Nina Ostanina
Deputies from the regions can also submit their proposals regarding new benefits to the participants of the SVO. The parliamentarian also plans to discuss their ideas with the Deputy minister. One of the measures is to increase the monthly allowance for combat veterans to the minimum subsistence level. Today, they are paid 4.5 thousand rubles a month, which, according to the deputies, does not reflect the contribution that the military has made to the country's security.
— Our society should consolidate its position on the right of the authorities to allocate monthly funds to these people for life, at least in the amount of the subsistence minimum (today it is about 20 thousand rubles. — Izvestia), Ostanina said in a conversation with Izvestia. — Even our pensioners receive more, but this money is also not enough.
Another initiative is to lower the retirement age for participants in the special operation. Nina Ostanina suggests reducing it for women to 55 years old, and for men to 60, that is, the way it was before 2018. The deputies also want to introduce the right of free travel not only to the place of rehabilitation, but also to the place of rest for the participants of the free movement. The State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes previously reported that today they can compensate for the way to the place of treatment and back if they contact the Social Fund in advance or apply through the public services portal.
In addition, the deputies continue to work on a draft law on improving housing conditions for young, large families and families of their participants.
— We are talking about the right to write off part of the mortgage loan [for these families]. We even held a videoconference with our Belarusian colleagues, so we saw something that, from our point of view, can convince the government that this law can be adopted after all," the parliamentarian said.
The category of combat veterans includes participants in the Great Patriotic War, the fighting in Afghanistan in 1979-1989, in Syria, and a number of other hot spots.
Is there money in the budget to increase payments to veterans
Tatyana Moskalkova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, said on May 14 at the All-Russian Coordinating Council of Commissioners for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, dedicated to protecting the rights of participants and veterans of military operations, that monthly payments to combat veterans were disproportionate to their contribution to ensuring state security and that they needed to be increased.
"I propose to appeal from our community, following the results of the All—Russian Coordinating Council, to government agencies to consider increasing the amount of monthly cash payments," she said.
The Ombudsman believes that it would be advisable to apply a differentiated approach, taking into account where, when and for how long a person took part in hostilities.
Earlier, the LDPR faction submitted to the State Duma a proposal to increase monthly payments to combat veterans, but the government did not support it, Yaroslav Nilov, chairman of the Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, told Izvestia.
— It is necessary to understand what the source of financing for this decision will be. If this source is identified, the money will be found, of course, I will only be in favor of [increasing payments]," the parliamentarian said.
At the same time, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, speaking about the budget for 2024-2026, called the social security of special operation fighters the most important area of budget spending. "Our main priority is to strengthen the country's defense capability and support its participants," the minister stressed. To clarify the position of the ministry on this issue, Izvestia asked the Ministry of Finance for comments.
LDPR deputies also came out with a proposal to grant participants of the special operation the right to free travel to a place of rest. They also support the introduction of benefits for housing and communal services. Today, veterans have a discount on housing, but they should be completely exempt from paying for utilities, Yaroslav Nilov believes. The party also put forward an initiative to lower the retirement age for its members, but the government also did not support it due to the lack of funding. "The work continues," he concluded.
United Russia is still cautious about the prospects for increasing payments to veterans.
"Any financial and material increase should be based on calculations, since it can be stated that we will increase, but the budget will not be able to do it," Elena Tsunaeva, first deputy chairman of the Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, told Izvestia.
She added that although calls for improving the situation of veterans are periodically heard in the State Duma, there must be a financial rationale behind everything.
— We have adopted the budget. The budget, as you know, is in short supply. Nevertheless, all the social programs that the state and our United Russia party have announced have been funded in the budget. Traditionally, there should be budget amendments in the middle of the year, so before talking about an increase, we need to work on this issue," said Tsunayeva.
The deputy noted that one measure to increase payments to veterans will not be able to completely solve the problem of supporting the participants of the SVO. Instead, the government provides a range of tools that veterans can use. Among them are benefits for obtaining additional education, taxation, and a guaranteed return to the place of work from which the person left.
Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the Center for Economic Studies at the Higher School of Economics, emphasizes that the task of the authorities is to find a middle ground: to fairly satisfy what the military deserves, and not to hit the economy.
"Given the current budget deficit, this is a difficult task," he told Izvestia. — The Ministry of Finance can provide everything, but then the economy will not be able to build more houses, kindergartens, schools, will not be able to increase money for education, will not be able to spend more on pharmaceuticals and medicines for medicine.
Since 2022, the authorities have introduced many benefits for ITS participants. In 2024, a new section appeared on Gosuslugi, which contains support measures for participants and veterans of a special military operation and their families. Among them are a one—time cash payment, payments for injuries, monthly disability compensation, a range of free medical services, free spa treatment, deferrals for the payment of a number of taxes, as well as credit holidays and the possibility of writing off part of debts.
Vladimir Putin, discussing the problems with credit holidays for fighters in 2024 at a meeting in St. Petersburg, urged not to pay attention to financial pragmatism. "The guys are going to war, risking their lives and health. Some do not return from the war. Therefore, it seems to me that this seems to be the correct logic of financial institutions, it should not work. There should be a different logic at work here. The logic of supporting people who risk their lives in the interests of the Motherland," the head of state noted.
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