State employees are forced to join United Russia

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In the work chats of employees of the district administrations of the Moscow region, a demand appeared from the regional governor Andrei Vorobyov. Workers are forced to join the United Russia party until June 30, 2026. Former deputy of the Moscow City Duma of the 7th convocation Evgeny Stupin spoke about this in his telegram channel.

“Colleagues, I ask you to work with your employees on the need for 100 percent of the team to become supporters of the United Russia party, which supports the decisions of the President and the Government. <…> Document forms have been sent to your assistants. I ask you to fulfill this instruction in full,” says the message sent to chats.

DOXA spoke with a representative of the “On Equals” project , which helps workers protect their labor rights. The human rights activist noted that if information about coercion to join United Russia is confirmed, then this violates Part 1 of Art. 23 of the Federal Law “On Political Parties”, according to which joining a party is an exclusively voluntary decision.

“On Equals” noted that the organization regularly faces complaints from public sector workers, which are expressed through political pressure:

“Requirements to participate in party events, collect signatures, campaign, or demonstrate political loyalty to the employer. In the context of the increasing politicization of the state and municipal apparatus, such practices are becoming increasingly common.”

At the same time, DOXA’s interlocutor recalls that even for civil servants, forcing them to join the party remains illegal.

In situations of pressure, experts advise workers to record facts of pressure, including saving correspondence, management orders, screenshots of work chats, and testimonies of colleagues. Under certain circumstances, employees can then contact the prosecutor's office, as well as use protection mechanisms through trade unions.

“Practice shows that it is the collective actions of employees that make it possible to most effectively counter such abuses and reduce risks for each individual employee,” concludes the representative of “On Equals.”