Fathers with many children will be allowed into the reserve – Newspaper Kommersant No. 234 (7435) dated 12/16/2022

The State Duma on Thursday adopted in the first reading the amendments of the United Russia group, allowing parents of four or more children to enroll in the human mobilization reserve. Such citizens, concluding a contract, will lose the right to deferment from mobilization, which is due to large families. The authors of the project are convinced that among those with many children there are about a thousand who want to join the mobilization reserve. Meanwhile, representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the LDPR are outraged that the Duma is considering the United Russia proposal, while 14 initiatives of the parliamentary opposition dedicated to mobilization lie dormant.

Members of the State Duma Committee on Defense, headed by its chairman Andrei Kartapolov, introduced the draft amendments to the laws on mobilization training and military duty on September 12, that is, before the announcement of partial mobilization (the president signed a decree on it on September 21). According to the document, a deferment from the call for mobilization is given to citizens with four or more minor children, “with the exception of citizens who have expressed a desire to conclude a contract on staying in the mobilization human reserve.” But if another child is born to a citizen, then he can apply and leave the mobile reserve.

As Andrey Krasov, co-author of the bill, First Deputy Chairman of the Defense Committee, explained to the deputies, now parents with many children are subject to unconditional exemption from conscription for military training, while, according to the Ministry of Defense, there are about a thousand citizens of this category who would like to enroll in the reserve.

For the parliamentary opposition, this initiative became an occasion to renew the long-standing dispute about which families can be considered large enough to receive a deferment from mobilization.

Recall that the Communists, led by party leader Gennady Zyuganov, introduced a bill to increase the age of children from 16 to 18 years old, whose parents are granted a deferment from conscription for mobilization (at the same time, there must be at least three dependent children). Besides, in the portfolio of the State Duma lie the bills of the Liberal Democratic Party, “A Just Russia – For the Truth” (SRZP) and “New People”, specifying the criteria by which citizens are granted a deferment. Among them, for example, the presence of a dependent child with a disability or a single parent.

Mikhail Matveev (KPRF) asked why four or more children are indicated in the United Russia bill, and not three. In addition, he recalled the president’s words that half of those mobilized to participate in a special military operation have not yet been sent to the combat zone. The deputy was surprised why, in such a situation, the authors of the bill propose to expand the circle of persons subject to mobilization.

“The mobilization reserve is needed in order to train personnel for the needs of the Ministry of Defense and other law enforcement agencies. This is necessary for the security of our state. If the state is safe, we will also resolve issues on benefits, payments, and so on. If our fatherland is not safe, then there will be no payments and benefits,” Andrei Krasov snapped. With regard to changing the criteria for citizens to be drafted, he said, a compromise should be found with the government. And the bill under consideration will allow fathers with many children to receive additional income, United Russia emphasized. He also noted that the issue of deferment from conscription for citizens with three or more children was regulated by the directive of the Chief of the General Staff.

Nina Ostanina (KPRF) recalled that the Defense Committee has 14 opposition bills on mobilization. “But you didn’t give any of them a move, but you introduced your bill,” she reproached United Russia. The deputy also said that the government supported the Communists’ proposal to increase the age of children whose parents have the right to deferment from 16 to 18 years, but this amendment has not yet been adopted. Mr. Krasov succinctly replied that the committee was “working to eliminate this problem.”

Andrey Kartapolov decided to raise the level of discussion. “Today our country is conducting a special military operation,” he said. weapons systems, there is a competition of military thought. But “we are able to stand up for ourselves,” and the United Russia bill “is aimed at increasing the number of citizens who can enter the mobilization reserve,” the head of the committee added. At the same time, he reproached the representatives of the parliamentary opposition for “reading the documents inattentively.”

Stanislav Naumov (LDPR) did not agree with this. He said he understood the intent of the authors of the bill, but would vote against “based on the principles of public responsibility and political expediency.” The deputy also recalled 14 initiatives that are waiting in line in the defense committee (including the LDPR project on a deferment for citizens with dependent children with disabilities), and suggested considering them before the end of the year. As for families with many children, Mr. Naumov admitted that he “doesn’t really understand dad who wants to leave his family and shift his father’s duties to someone.”

Nina Ostanina again took the floor and proposed the creation of a working group to protect the families of the mobilized.

“Why do our bills lie dormant? We do not have a one-party parliament, dear fellow generals, listen to us!” – Ms. Ostanina turned to United Russia from the Defense Committee.

And Valery Hartung (SRZP) said that his faction decided on a free vote, although he himself is against the bill: “Citizens do not expect such initiatives from us.”

Speaking with the final word, Andrey Krasov called on his colleagues “not to become like couch analysts”, but to be “real statesmen and take care of the security of our country.” But, judging by the results of the vote, not everyone heeded this call: only 289 deputies supported the bill (out of 450 people in the Duma), 16 were against and 12 abstained.

Ksenia Veretennikova