Page 24 - RusRPTAug23

Regional governors are playing into this narrative as well; Rostov Governor
Vasily Golubev
said
Golubev also
said
officials did everything that was expected of them, but he only spoke about the
mutiny in very vague, general terms.
The State Duma passed a new bill
that the people who were filmed welcoming and cheering
on Wagner troops in his region were, in fact, Wagner members in disguise.
that the mutiny cost the region “at least RUB92.5mn”
($1mn) in material damage (which his government will no doubt try to recover
from the federal budget). Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov
the mutiny in an interview with local media, in which he stressed that Lipetsk
on the age of service for Russian
military conscripts on July 25. Until now, Russian men were required to
report for compulsory military service between the ages of 18 and 27. The new
bill raises the maximum age from 27 to 30, most likely in order to increase the
number of soldiers for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Chairman of the State
Duma Defence Committee, Andrei Kartapolov,
Along with legislation governing military mobilization and conscription, the Duma also voted to allow
told
also spoke about
Interfax that the widened
age range was necessary to keep military recruitment up and “in order for us
not to fall behind.” Additionally, the bill further cracks down on draft dodging by
prohibiting men with draft notices from leaving the country. If passed by the
Federation Council and signed into law by President Putin, the new age
requirements would take effect in January 2024.
Russian regions to form their own regional
military units, not unlike the private military companies formed by
state-owned enterprises (although they are not going to be called that).
Regions will be able to do so with presidential approval and only during
wartime, mobilization, and martial law, ostensibly for defensive purposes.
Uniquely among regions, Moscow
can sign agreements
Guard directly about sharing the responsibility for defending the city. These
with the National
companies will be financed from federal and regional budgets and will
cooperate with the Federal Security Service and the army. It is unclear whether
they will be significantly different from the “territorial defence” forces that
already exist in several regions. The new law looks like yet another form of
covert military mobilization where the costs are at least partially shifted to
regional budgets. This is similar to Putin’s October 2022 decrees that
empowered governors to set up operational headquarters to ensure that the
needs of the military are met.
A new repressive initiative has been submitted to the State Duma,
effectively banning foreign companies from researching the Russian
consumer market. The bill is a checkpoint: its authors include not only the
chairman of the committee on industry and trade, Vladimir Gutenev, but also
the author of laws on limiting foreign ownership, Anton Gorelkin. The organizer
of consumer market research can only be a Russian legal entity with an annual
revenue of 30mn rubles or more and owned by at least 80% of Russian legal
entities or individuals. Databases and research facilities must be located on
24 RUSSIA Country Report August 2023 www.intellinews.com