The deputies prepared a project to increase pensions by 50% for residents of “troubled” regions of Russia

And the victims of the shelling want to pay extra for injuries

The Commission on Social Policy of the Council of Legislators wants to expand the list of recipients of benefits established in connection with the SVO. It is proposed to include security forces performing special tasks in regions where a medium level of response has been introduced, as well as civilians living or working in settlements subjected to regular shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Now injuries sustained during such shelling are classified as domestic injuries, which does not allow people to count on additional payments.

Events began in St. Petersburg within the framework of the Council of Legislators, timed to coincide with the Day of Russian Parliamentarism. The key meeting with the participation of Vladimir Putin will take place on April 28, but for now the commissions are preparing their proposals aimed at adjusting the current legislation in accordance with the requirements of the moment. Not surprisingly, many of them are somehow connected with the SVO, and some have already taken the form of bills and are preparing to be submitted to the lower house of parliament.

According to the speaker of the Moscow City Duma Alexei Shaposhnikov, it became necessary to return to the law “On Veterans” and amend it to support the security forces performing “special tasks” in the Russian regions, where the average level of response is set by Vladimir Putin’s decree. (Recall that these are Crimea, Krasnodar Territory, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov Regions, as well as Sevastopol). “The changes concern the “man with a gun”. They introduce new categories of persons recognized as combat veterans, ”said the parliamentarian, specifying that we are talking about military personnel, employees of the FSB, the FSO and the Investigative Committee, members of volunteer formations and theterodefense. The main criterion for obtaining veteran status will be participation in the performance of “special tasks” associated with the conduct of the SVO. An example of such a “special task” Shaposhnikov called the elimination of saboteurs who entered the Bryansk region on March 2. Combat veterans automatically receive a certain set of benefits, as well as monthly payments in the amount of 3.89 thousand rubles. If one of the security forces is wounded or shell-shocked during the performance of a special task, he will be able to apply for the status of a combat invalid. And if killed, support will be provided to the family of the deceased.

The second bill, presented at the commission on social policy, protects the interests of civilians located in the territories with an average level of response, which are subjected to shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Shaposhnikov, these can be both local residents (primarily pensioners who are unable to evacuate), and builders who have arrived from other regions and are engaged in restoration work, as well as erecting a “notch line”. “Among Muscovites, unfortunately, there are also dead, wounded and shell-shocked. These are ordinary workers who perform work there,” the deputy specified.

Amendments to the law “On State Social Assistance” propose to establish an allowance for residents in the amount of 50% of the amount of payments they receive (for example, pensions), and for workers from other regions – a benefit that will be awarded in case of injuries received during shelling or other sabotage. Social guarantees, Shaposhnikov believes, will make it possible to more actively attract labor in the border area, because. “Now there are big problems with that.” However, the law is point. It will not operate on the entire territory of regions with an average level of response, but only in those settlements that the government will approve on the recommendation of the governors. As a potential candidate, Shaposhnikov named the city of Shebekino, Belgorod Region, which is constantly under fire.

Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Inna Svyatenko noted that now injuries that civilians receive in regions with a maximum and average level of response are classified as domestic injuries and “payments are made just like that.” This means that disability caused by shelling or a drone attack is no different from disability due to a sore throat or the flu: victims can only count on sick leave, based on average earnings and taking into account length of service. This point clearly needs to be corrected, lawmakers say. However, the regions with the highest level of response (and these are the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions) are not covered by their initiative yet, since it is highly likely that the Ministry of Finance will not support it due to high costs.

On the other hand, the chairman of the Tambov Regional Duma, Yevgeny Matushkin, pointed out that residents of regions far from the border with Ukraine could also suffer from shelling. “They flew to both the Tula region and the Saratov region,” he recalled, suggesting that in the event of the death or injury of civilians, social support should not be limited to the territorial principle.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29020 dated April 27, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Wounded doesn’t mean sick