How the Federation Council approved the law on the unified register of military records

The Federation Council (SF) approved the law adopted on the eve of the State Duma in the second and third readings on the creation of a new digital accounting system for those liable for military service, which, among other things, provides for the distribution of subpoenas in electronic form. Before consideration of the document, the chairman of the upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, noted that the initiative caused “a lot of heated comments on the Internet.” According to her, the legislator’s mistake was that before “we were unable to ensure that our citizens were properly informed.”

Matvienko refused to consider the initiative “spontaneous” and “urgently adopted.” “The need for it (in the law – Vedomosti) is long overdue. Military registration and enlistment offices remained one of the few structures not covered by digitalization. The Ministry of Defense has been working on the formation of an electronic system of military registration with reference to the “State Services” for several years, and after the start of a special military operation, it became obvious that this work should be accelerated, it must be urgently completed,” said the Chairman of the Federation Council.

According to Matvienko, the proposed amendments, which, in particular, provide for a number of prohibitions both for those who received a summons (they will not be able to leave Russia), and for those who ignored them without a good reason (they will not be able to register as individual entrepreneurs and self-employed, dispose of their real estate and driving a car), “significantly simplify military registration” and are an element of the “humanization” of the system, “to prevent extreme measures” (bringing to criminal liability).

“The amendments will make it possible to ensure the transparency of the military registration process, reduce the burden on employees of military registration and enlistment offices, and also minimize visits of citizens to the military registration and enlistment office,” said the Chairman of the Federation Council. At the same time, she repeated that “all this must be explained to our citizens in simple terms, not to succumb to the provocations that are now being replicated, not to frighten people.” The amendments, according to her, “supplement the channels for informing citizens about the issued subpoenas,” but supposedly nothing fundamentally changes.

The law raised a number of questions from Lyudmila Narusova, a member of the Federation Council committee on constitutional legislation and state building. At first, she asked why under the amendments, which imply “a serious restriction of the rights of citizens, namely regarding property, and exit, and driving”, there is no opinion of the Commissioner for Human Rights. The chairman of its committee, Andrei Klishas, ​​replied that this was not provided for by the regulations of the Federation Council. Then Narusova remembered a quote from the former Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktor Chernomyrdin: “We wanted the best, but it turned out as always.”

“Because, on the one hand, the simplification of the register of military personnel subject to conscription or mobilization is understandable, this must be done. But, as always, these measures, which are aimed at restricting rights, do not fit in with the existing laws, not to mention the constitutional right, the inviolability of the home and the right of a citizen to dispose of it, if there is no definite court decision,” said Narusova. In addition, she drew attention to cases when a person does not live at the place of registration and does not have access to the Internet. “One should not think that the entire contingent lives in St. Petersburg, Moscow or million-plus cities,” the senator noted, noting that everyone understands the purpose of the law.

“This law is not aimed at anything, the existing norms are supplemented by modern possibilities,” said the Chairman of the Federation Council. Narusova said that the restriction of the rights of citizens is possible only “in the event of a declaration of war or the imposition of martial law.” “Currently, thank God, there is neither one nor the other in our country,” the senator noted. The Chairman of the Federation Council, in turn, said that “this is not a lifetime restriction.” “If a person did not fulfill his constitutional duty twice, did not appear at the military registration and enlistment office, of course, in this case he is warned as an unlawful citizen. Come, explain, the topic will be closed,” said the chairman of the Federation Council and cited Israel as an example.

“Look at the discipline there. There, if you did not serve in the army, you are generally an inferior citizen. And there young people are torn, both men and women. And we have not yet clarified everything, and these new challenges, they just revealed it. And new challenges, they just revealed it,” said Matvienko. At this point, Vyacheslav Timchenko, chairman of the Federation Council committee on regulations and organization of parliamentary activities, interrupted her, accusing her of violating regulations. “I have deep respect for all senators. But, if you remember, this is not the first time that Senator Narusova violates the order of discussing the issue and uses the discussion button for other purposes. If this continues, I will raise the issue of depriving a senator of the right to vote, violating the relevant norms of the regulations,” Timchenko threatened. Matvienko invited him to “drink tea with Lyudmila Borisovna.”

The amendments were adopted by 163 votes in favor. One senator voted against, there were no abstentions.