State Duma legislators set out to expand Russia’s riot police with ‘volunteer’ units, while also protecting it from public criticism

State Duma deputies have submitted a new set of amendments to Russia’s existing criminal law for consideration by the parliament. If passed, the proposed changes will expand the scope of the laws against “discrediting” the Russian army and spreading “fake news” about the Defense Ministry and its military operations.

Both laws came into existence after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Originally conceived to curtail public speech about the regular army, they were later extended to contract military personnel and even mercenaries.

The next move, it appears, will be to expand the same protections to Russia’s riot police, commonly referred to as “Rosgvardiya” and reporting directly to the Russian president.

The amendments are being submitted in tandem with another bill, also concerning the National Guard. If passed, it would enable the riot police to recruit “volunteers” into special units within its purview.

Unofficial sources connected the latter proposal to a reform reportedly underway in the deceased Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group, a mercenary cartel rumored to be joining the National Guard soon, while keeping its old name and “basic principles.”

The rumors of Wagner Group’s reorganization are yet to be confirmed by reliable sources.