On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, an active discussion about the advisability of an amnesty has unfolded in the State Duma of the Russian Federation. On February 12, 2025, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation deputies, headed by Gennady Zyuganov, introduced a draft resolution on announcing an amnesty dedicated to this significant date. The document proposes to exempt from punishment persons convicted for the first time of intentional crimes of minor and moderate severity, as well as participants in military operations, home front workers and other categories of citizens.

However, there is no consensus within parliament regarding the need for such an amnesty. Representatives of United Russia do not support the initiative, pointing to existing mechanisms that allow convicted persons to atone for their guilt by participating in a special military operation (SVO). First Deputy Head of the faction Dmitry Vyalkin reported that the party does not plan to develop its own amnesty project for the Victory anniversary.

Pavel Krasheninnikov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation, noted that it is currently untimely to hold an amnesty. He emphasized that the current legislation already provides for the possibility for convicted persons to participate in the SVO, which allows them to "wash away their guilt with blood." In addition, a law was recently adopted on the recalculation of terms for persons in custody or under house arrest, which also contributes to the humanization of punishments.

Opinions were divided among other factions. The LDPR plans to present its version of the amnesty in April, while New People has not yet decided on its position, studying the project proposed by the communists. A Just Russia — For Truth did not include the amnesty issue in the faction meeting agenda, but some of its representatives believe that the amnesty "will happen in any case."

Experts are skeptical about the prospects of adopting an amnesty. Aleksandr Malkevich, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, believes that an amnesty would be useful, but stresses the need to carefully select the categories of people to whom it would apply, so as not to traumatize society. He suggests considering the possibility of an amnesty for those convicted of minor economic offenses.