Russian lower house votes to allow governors to create their own military organisations during wartime

The Russian State Duma (lower house) has voted to give regional governors the right to establish their own military organisations during wartime, martial law, or mobilisation.

The organisations — which are essentially the same as military companies — will be funded from the Russian federal and regional budget. These companies will aid the security services, the law enforcement, and military governance bodies to “maintain law and order”, “ensure border security”, and “combat sabotage groups”.

Governors will be able to receive small arms from the Russian Defence Ministry and hand it over to the organisations’ personnel. They will be allowed to use arms to repel attacks, detain people on the territory of protected facilities, stop and check vehicles, and destroy drones.

These measures are meant to be temporary: the law stipulates that they can be cancelled by a presidential order, with the weapons handed back to the Defence Ministry within a month.

Earlier today, the State Duma passed a bill that raises the upper age limit for mandatory conscription to 30 years. The bill does not include a transition period: this means that the lower limit will stand at 18, despite previous plans to gradually raise it to 21.