The State Duma passed a law granting mercenaries the status of veterans

The State Duma adopted the third, final reading of the draft law, which allows mercenaries to receive the status of combat veterans and disabled persons, including fighters of PMC “Wagner”, participating in the war in Ukraine.

The text of the document states that from now on, such statuses and related benefits will be available to “persons who have entered into a contract or had other legal relationships with organizations assisting in the fulfillment of tasks assigned to the Russian army” during the so-called “special military operation.” The law also concerns the participants of the armed formations of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.

Earlier, the State Duma extended the laws on criminal punishment for discrediting the Russian army and spreading fakes about it to the same category of persons.

• PMC “Wagner” is a Russian unofficial armed formation, created by St. Petersburg businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, who is close to President Vladimir Putin. PMC mercenaries, among whom are prisoners recruited in colonies, take an active part in the war with Ukraine, as well as in ground operations in Syria and Africa. Company fighters are accused of committing numerous war crimes, including extrajudicial executions. Prigozhin does not deny this, although he does not admit it directly. In a number of countries PMC “Wagner” is recognized as a criminal and terrorist organization.