Putin reduced the minimum contract term for foreigners to one year

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that the first military service contract with foreigners will be for one year instead of the previous five years. Document published on the legal information portal.

The content of the second paragraph of the decree is not disclosed, it is marked “for official use”.

Former military service contract was with a foreign national for five years.

Political scientist Alexander Nemtsev in a conversation with Vedomosti underlinethat the reduction of the duration of the first contract with foreigners to one year “is made for specialists from countries close to Russia” in the framework of the military operation in Ukraine.

According to Nemtsev, these, in particular, “can be Syrian anti-drone specialists, DPRK anti-missile weapon specialists, as well as high-level professionals from China and Iran.”

In November 2022, Putin signed a decree allowing foreigners and Russians of foreign nationality to perform military service.

In September, the State Duma accepted amendments which allow, in a simplified way, to obtain Russian citizenship for foreigners who have concluded a military service contract for a period of at least one year. Previously, foreigners had to serve under the contract for at least three years.

In the fall, Kirill Kabanov, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights (HRC), reported on the preparation of a law requiring natives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan who received a Russian passport less than 10 years ago to submit to compulsory military service on pain of deprivation of citizenship.

President of the Federation of Migrants Vadim Kozhenov appointed the adoption of such a law is unlikely, since the decree on obtaining and deprivation of Russian citizenship occurs exclusively by presidential decree.