The State Duma proposed recognizing those who died in the war in Ukraine according to a simplified scheme

The authorities intend to simplify the procedure for recognizing the participants of the war in Ukraine as dead and missing. A draft law on this matter has been submitted to the State Duma, said Senator Andrei Turchak, secretary of the United Russia General Council.

“The procedure for recognizing militants as missing and dead will be simplified and significantly shortened in time. It won’t take years or months,” he wrote.

It is proposed to declare a soldier dead if confirmed by the commander who became an eyewitness to the event. If a person is missing and there are no direct witnesses to their death, it will take no more than six months to declare them missing.

Now we have to wait two years after the end of hostilities. “The long and confusing bureaucratic procedure can leave the families of the deceased soldiers without payments and other required social assistance measures for a long time,” Turczak said.

If the bill is adopted, the new regulation will be extended to all cases that occurred after the start of the war in Ukraine with the military of the Ministry of Defense and mobilization. Recognition will be by court order.

“The project is aimed at ensuring that family members of a missing citizen can quickly take advantage of all social guarantees,” confirmed Senator Andrei Klishas, ​​one of the originators of the initiative. At the same time, he noted that if the person is found, the court decision will be overturned and the family will have to return all payments received.

Now the relatives of the victims receive 12.4 million rubles from the federal budget. However, the total amount and extent of other fees, such as funeral fees, may vary by region.

Director of the human rights group “Citizen. Army. Right,” Sergei Krivenko suggests that the amendments could be “a solution to the problem for the families of victims whose bodies have not been found.” “According to the current regulations, if there is no body, the commander cannot sign the soldier’s death certificate. And then, to declare him dead or missing, all you have to do is go to court, and only two years after the end of the war,” he explained. At the same time, Krivenko did not exclude “abuses and inconsistencies in connection with these amendments”, including the recognition of living militants as dead.