Meduza: more than 1,300 participants in the war against Ukraine received positions in government

At least 1,305 former participants in the invasion of Ukraine have received positions in the Russian government system, Meduzahas calculated .

We are talking about people who either won local or regional elections, or received appointments to government structures and public organizations with significant government participation. In total, according to Meduza, they filled 1,311 positions.

Journalists compiled a database using open sources: in particular, reports from federal and regional media, websites of authorities and election commissions. It is noted that this is a minimum estimate, and the real number of war participants who received positions in the government system is much higher.

The collected data shows that the number of such appointments is growing every year: in 2023 there were only 45 of them, in 2024 - at least 201, in 2025 - at least 754, from January to May 2026 - at least 311.

Almost half of the new appointments are at the municipal level - 656, followed by the regional level - 570, and then the federal level - 85. Another 20 appointments are at educational institutions.

According to two senior regional officials with whom Meduza spoke, they said that military personnel are usually appointed to positions that do not involve “serious budget flows and serious work.” One of them added that we are talking about positions that are “related to youth, patriotic education, or interaction with fellow veterans.”

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The leaders in the number of appointments are the Moscow region (76), Bashkortostan (41) And Tatarstan (37). The fewest such appointees are in the occupied territories of Ukraine: in the “DPR” (16), in the “LPR” (15), in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions (4 each).

Of the 1,305 people who received positions in the government system, 447 already had experience working in state or municipal structures, 303 had a professional military background, 98 worked in law enforcement agencies.

Meduza notes that the number of war participants in power will likely continue to grow: already at least 1,326 people have announced their participation in the elections that will be held in Russia in September 2026.

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