“Here people are not at the resort” – Kommersant Kazan

The deputy of the State Council of Tatarstan from the Liberal Democratic Party Eduard Sharafiev proposed to rotate the mobilized, participating in the special military operation (SVO) of Russia in Ukraine. He prepared amendments to the federal law, according to which military service for partial mobilization should be limited to specific terms. “If the deadline for the first wave has come, then, accordingly, it is possible to make a second wave, a third, and so on,” Mr. Sharafiev explained to Kommersant-Kazan yesterday. The bill has already been submitted to the State Council of the Republic. If it is approved by the deputies of the region, the document will be sent to the State Duma. According to experts, the idea “may have a chance of success only if it is initiated from above,” but it can become an “indicator of public sentiment,” including those mobilized and their relatives.

Deputy of the State Council of Tatarstan Eduard Sharafiev (LDPR) has prepared a draft amendment to the federal law “On mobilization training and mobilization in the Russian Federation.” According to the parliamentarian, Art. 19 it is necessary to indicate that “the passage of military service by citizens called up as part of partial mobilization” should be carried out “within the time limits established by the mobilization plans of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations, bodies and special formations.”

In an explanatory note, Mr. Sharafiev stressed that he wants to introduce the terms of service of the mobilized. In the decree of President Vladimir Putin on the announcement of partial mobilization on September 21, 2022, “there is no information on the terms of service of mobilized citizens, the grounds for their dismissal and sending home,” the deputy noted. According to him, “nothing is said about the terms of service of the mobilized in the federal law.”

“The main issue that worries those called up as part of the partial mobilization of citizens and their relatives is when the rotation of the mobilized will take place and whether it is provided for by law.

This problem is especially relevant for families in which children have not seen their father for many months,” said Eduard Sharafiev. He recalled that the President spoke about the possible rotation of the mobilized at the end of last year. “The adoption of the bill will reduce social tension among those called up as part of the partial mobilization of citizens and their relatives, since it provides for the establishment of terms for military service,” the LDPR deputy suggested.

In an interview with Kommersant-Kazan, Eduard Sharafiev noted that the draft law does not establish the terms of service of the mobilized – they, according to the deputy, should be determined by the Russian Ministry of Defense. This is necessary in order to “get rid of an incomprehensible, blurry situation, when there are no deadlines or guidelines for partial mobilization,” the parliamentarian believes.

The deputy stressed that his initiative concerns not only “the partial mobilization that is currently underway within the framework of the NWO.” “It is clear that if we are talking about ordinary mobilization, there can be no deadlines. At this moment, the whole country, all reserves, all resources are mobilized to achieve the goal that will stand before us, ”he explained to Kommersant-Kazan. At the same time, within the framework of the SVO, according to him, the rotation of the mobilized is possible. “If the first wave has expired, then, accordingly, you can make the second wave, the third, and so on. In any case, a new wave of mobilization is needed in order to rotate all the specialists and fighters who have been on the front lines for almost a year, and to carry out the tasks of the NMD with new forces and resources, ”he explained.

The deputy added that a new partial mobilization may also be needed in order to “transition to more active actions for a further offensive.”

According to him, the lack of terms of service for the mobilized “strongly presses from a moral point of view.” “Physically, emotionally, the exhaustion of the fighters in any case occurs, because here people are not at the resort. Secondly, the element of hopelessness presses the most. People understand that now at the moment they can go home from here either in a black bag, a zinc coffin, or seriously wounded. They have no other options on the horizon,” concluded Mr. Sharafiev.

Recall that Eduard Sharafiev himself (he has been a deputy of the State Council of Tatarstan since 2019) is now in the NVO zone as a volunteer. In November 2022, he signed a contract for a period of three months, but in February he extended it for another six months. The deputy said that he was appointed commander of the second battalion of a separate assault brigade and “in agreement with the command” he was given “the opportunity to go on business trips to attend meetings of the State Council of Tatarstan.”

Now, according to Mr. Sharafiev, he is on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic. “My next six-month contract ends in early August. But, since I now have a lot of different questions, I will not be able to quickly convey them, I will wait for a replacement. And if there is such a replacement, then I intend to return to the republic and begin my deputy powers. But for now, the issue is suspended,” he told Kommersant-Kazan yesterday.

Eduard Sharafiev’s bill has already been submitted to the State Council of Tatarstan (it was sent through electronic document management), Rezida Makuyeva, head of the press service of the republican parliament, confirmed to Kommersant-Kazan. According to her, in the coming days, the leadership of the State Council will send this initiative to the relevant committee. However, most likely, the deputies of the republic will be able to study the initiative only in the fall – now they are on vacation. If the parliament of Tatarstan approves the proposal of Eduard Sharafiev, the bill will be sent to the State Duma for consideration.

Earlier, volunteers from the Alga and Timer battalions complained about the refusal to dismiss after the announcement of partial mobilization. Several former fighters went to court demanding to oblige the command of the military unit to sign their reports, filed after the expiration of fixed-term contracts. At the same time, the head of the selection point of the military registration and enlistment office of Tatarstan, Yevgeny Tokmakov, explained that until there was a decree on the completion of partial mobilization in the NMD, a fighter could not quit at will. The authorities opened criminal cases against the former fighters who arbitrarily left the unit.

“I support this legislative initiative only because nothing is permanent. Boundless is only a galaxy,” lawyer Lavrenty Sichinava, who defended volunteers in courts, told Kommersant-Kazan yesterday. According to him, “any event should have some time limit, especially such a serious one as the NWO.” “Otherwise, it can be stretched like rubber. Look how many guys went there now at the call of their hearts, and now they can get a prison sentence. And all because of the fact that someone somewhere in the law did not finish writing,” Mr. Sichinava believes.

“Such an initiative is primarily aimed at increasing the recognition and popularity of the Liberal Democratic Party. Although there will be no major elections in Tatarstan this autumn, you need to constantly remind yourself of yourself, ”says Sergey Sergeev, a Kazan political scientist. He believes that the requirement to limit the terms of service “will attract the sympathy of the mobilized themselves and especially their relatives.” At the same time, regarding the announcement of a new wave of mobilization, “the federal authorities are working very carefully,” adds Mr. Sergeev. “I think it is unlikely that this idea will be continued. It can only have a chance of success if it is initiated from above. Although it may be of interest to the federal authorities as an indicator of public sentiment,” concludes Mr. Sergeev.

Kirill Antonov