The State Duma allowed the regions to create armed “special companies”

The State Duma of Russia allowed the heads of regions to create specialized state unitary enterprises similar to private military companies. Employees of these enterprises will be armed with small arms. The corresponding amendment was made to the law on the circulation of weapons, it was included in the draft law considered on Tuesday, which, among other things, increased the upper bar of the conscription age to 30 years and seriously tightened the punishment for not appearing at the military enlistment office, limited the rights of conscripts and those subject to mobilization.

The document states that “specialized enterprises” will assist the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the protection of the state border, the fight against illegal armed groups, and the fight against sabotage and intelligence formations of other countries. The decision on the creation of such organizations will be made by the President of Russia, whether they are created during mobilization (the decree on mobilization from September 21 is still valid – that is, we are talking about the current time), martial law or during wartime.

Employees of specialized state companies will be allowed to use physical force and firearms in the same cases as employees of departmental security, and they will also be allowed to destroy drones, the Agency writes.

Earlier, in particular, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, advocated the adoption of similar measures after a series of raids by the Russian volunteer corps fighting on the side of Ukraine on the territory of the region. Hladkov promised to distribute weapons to territorial defense fighters, but the current legislation did not provide for such an opportunity.

According to “Agenstvo”, another reason for the appearance of such companies may be the rebellion of PMC “Wagner”, which showed the weak protection of the regions in case of such events.

After the mobilization began, so-called volunteer units from their residents were created in different regions. They were equipped, as a rule, with funds from regional budgets. However, it was not about territorial defense – they went directly to Ukraine to the front.