Russians who sign a new contract to participate in the war against Ukraine will be exempted from debts of up to 10 million rubles (about 120,000 euros). Another new law provides for the Russian army to protect citizens abroad.
Anyone who has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense since May 1 to participate in the war in Ukraine will be exempted from paying debts of up to ten million rubles (about 120,000 euros). The decree was signed by Vladimir Putin and announced by the Kremlin late Monday evening. The condition is that the contract for participation in the war must be signed for a period of at least one year.
What else does Putin's decree on debt forgiveness provide?
The decree covers not only the recruits themselves, but also their wives or husbands. And the contract must be for “performing the tasks of a special military operation“ - the term the Kremlin uses to refer to its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. In addition, the debts must have been incurred before May 1, 2026.
According to the Russian real estate database Cian, 10 million rubles is the approximate price of a one-room apartment measuring 35 square meters in Moscow.
A number of privileges for recruits fighting against Ukraine
For more than four years, Russia has been offering generous salaries to those who sign up to fight in the armed forces conducting the offensive against Ukraine. Putin has also called for veterans of the war in Ukraine to be given prestigious positions in Russia when they return from the front. Veterans will also be given priority when applying to universities or colleges for further education and training.
The Russian economy is currently in a state of military mobilization, and military needs take precedence over other sectors.
Law on the deployment of armed forces abroad
In addition, Putin signed a law that allows the deployment of armed forces outside Russia to protect Russian citizens against whom legal proceedings are being conducted in other countries, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.
According to EFE, the law will allow Moscow to intervene militarily in third countries where the freedom of Russian citizens is threatened by legal proceedings or arrests carried out without Russia's permission or in violation of international law. The chairman of the Russian parliament's defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, said the legislation would allow Moscow to intervene in cases such as that of Russian architect Alexander Butyagin.
Butyagin was arrested in December 2025 in Poland at the request of Kiev, where he was accused of conducting excavations on the Crimean peninsula. Russia considers Crimea its territory - it was illegally annexed by Russian troops in 2014. Butyagin was released in April as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.