The Russian Ministry of Defense has developed a bill providing for additional measures of responsibility for military personnel who have committed serious and especially serious crimes in combat situations. According to the initiative, such military personnel will not only be subject to criminal liability, but will also be deprived of state awards, social payments, and benefits provided for participation in combat operations.
The authors of the bill emphasize that this measure is aimed at improving discipline among personnel and preventing serious offenses during military operations. It is assumed that deprivation of the status of a combat veteran and the privileges associated with it will have a moral impact on convicts, affecting their sense of pride and ambition, and will also lead to property consequences.
The bill will apply to military personnel who committed crimes during martial law, wartime or in armed conflict. In the event of a guilty verdict, in addition to the main punishment of imprisonment, an additional measure will be applied to them - termination of payments for service, cancellation of benefits and advantages provided by the status of a combat veteran.
Previously, Russian legislation provided for the possibility of exemption from criminal liability for military personnel who entered into a contract for military service during mobilization or wartime. According to Article 78.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, such persons could be exempted from liability from the day of being awarded a state award or from the day of dismissal from military service on certain grounds.