The Russian army was allowed to take contract soldiers immediately after school

It will be possible to enter military service under a contract immediately upon reaching the age of 18, such an amendment is contained in the law, which involves the digitalization of military records. The State Duma adopted it in the second and third readings on April 11, and on April 12 it was approved by the Federation Council.

By the time the issue went to press, all that was left to do was sign it for the president, but the document had not been received by the Kremlin, press secretary of the head of state Dmitry Peskov said at about 7 pm. However, according to two informed interlocutors of Vedomosti, there were no plans to veto the law. That is, the law will come into force after signing by the President and official publication.

According to the still valid paragraph 1 of Art. 34 of the law “On military duty and military service”, before going on a contract, you must serve at least three months on conscription. Or you need to study at a technical school and university, said lawyer Alexander Peredruk. In this case, the contract is concluded for a period of at least two years – if for some reason it is terminated earlier, then two days on the contract will be credited for a day on military service.

The head of the Duma Committee on Defense, Andrey Kartapolov, proposed allowing school graduates to serve on a contract basis in the army back in June 2022. Then the head of the lower house committee on family, women and children, Nina Ostanina, opposed the amendment. “Children from the school bench who want to earn money under the contract today will simply be unprotected,” she said. On June 28 of the same year, Kartapolov promised that the bill would not be considered “in the near future.”

Dmitry Gorbunov, a partner at the law firm Rustam Kurmaev & Partners, added that, until recently, contracting at a fairly early age was not practiced. Service in the army, as a rule, was built into a career after graduating from a college or even a university, notes Irina Abankina, professor at the Institute of Education at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. “The Ministry of Defense has repeatedly stated that the average age of graduates has increased by almost two years, because some of the guys go to serve a year after graduation. But all these trends were before the special operation. Now the situation is likely to change,” she points out.

Anastasia Kucherena, managing partner of Key Consulting Group, believes that such a decision will most clearly respond in regions with the lowest income levels, especially among citizens who need money to pay loans and mortgages, as well as to support their families. “The prospect of receiving a monthly payment in the amount of 160,000 rubles, a one-time payment at the conclusion of a contract of 195,000 rubles. and other payments for achievements, injuries or death of a serviceman can attract a large number of citizens undergoing military service,” she added.

Many young people in the regions, especially in villages and villages, are actively involved in providing for their families, and the army years are often “moneyless”, explained political scientist Alexander Nemtsev. Conscripts usually receive monthly payments ranging from 2,086 to 4,300 rubles. The contract, he notes, gives an advantage, allows you to support families.