The Ministry of Digital Development will consider expanding the list of IT specialties for which a deferment from conscription is provided

The head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Maksut Shadayev, said that the department would work on the issue of including additional IT specialties in the list of deferrals from military service. Now the list includes 195 specialties. According to him, when the application system is opened on January 23, 2023, the developments carried out as part of the registration of deferrals from partial mobilization will be taken into account.

“As part of the work on the list of specialties for partial mobilization, we realized that there are some technical specialties that, probably, it is necessary to raise the question of their inclusion in a government decree. Therefore, we will do it. Everything that we can do as an IT specialty, we will do everything,” Maksut Shadayev said during a live webinar, Interfax reports.

Maksut Shadayev once again noted that his department does not consider it necessary to ban IT specialists from leaving Russia. “We believe that there are no restrictions here. Moreover, in this situation they will be harmful. That is, on the contrary, we want to say that, guys, those who left, come back and work quietly or continue working while you are there, for Russian companies,” said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development.

According to the government decree of March 28, 2022, IT specialists of military age (from 18 to 27 years old) are entitled to a deferment from the army. The measure was taken to support the Russian IT industry. Those who have a higher education in a specialty from the list of the Ministry of Digital Development, as well as those working in an IT organization for at least 11 months, are exempted from conscription. The lists are sent to the Ministry of Defense, after which the draft board makes a final decision on the postponement.

Earlier, Senator Andrei Klishas announced the preparation of a bill to completely ban remote work from abroad for workers in a number of specialties, including the field of information security. To the Ministry of Digital Development spoke against such a measure, as it will slow down the development of digital platforms. On December 20, Maksut Shadayev announced that since the beginning of 2022, about 100 thousand IT specialists have left Russia – up to 10% of the total number of employees of Russian IT companies.

Read more about the restriction of work for departed IT-specialists in the material “Kommersant” “Departure Tax”.

Lusine Balasyan