The Russian government has submitted a bill to the State Duma that would expand the list of Criminal Code articles that do not bar individuals from signing contracts with the Defense Ministry during mobilization, martial law, or wartime. The bill was reported by Verstka, The Insider, and Novaya Gazeta Europe.
The proposed legislation would remove an outstanding or unexpunged conviction for several offenses as an obstacle to signing a contract. These include participation in a gang (Part 2 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code) and participation in a criminal organization (Part 2 of Article 210). Organizers of such groups, the bill notes, would still be barred from signing contracts.
Other offenses added to the list include smuggling of cash (Article 200.1), smuggling of drugs (Parts 1–4 of Article 229.1) and strategically important goods (Part 1 of Article 226.1), theft or extortion of nuclear materials (Part 1 of Article 221), illegal entry into a protected facility with intent to disclose state secrets (Point 'b' of Part 2 of Article 215.4), organization of illegal migration (Part 2 of Article 322.1), and loss of documents containing state secrets (Article 284).
According to The Insider, the contract could be signed not only by convicted individuals but also by defendants whose criminal cases have been suspended at the request of a military unit's command.
The explanatory note states that the amendments aim to 'expand the circle of persons' eligible to sign contracts. As Verstka and other outlets note, current legislation already allows most convicts to be recruited, except for those convicted of crimes against the sexual integrity of minors, terrorism, extremism, high treason, espionage, sabotage, and several others.
According to the outlets, the list of exceptions does not include articles on spreading 'fakes' about the military (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) or repeated 'discrediting' of the army (Article 280.3). Convicted and accused individuals under these articles can already sign contracts under current law.
The law applies to Russian citizens, foreigners, and stateless persons. In May 2026, Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIS) Director Arkady Gostev acknowledged for the first time that the reduction in the number of prisoners in Russia is partly due to recruitment for the war. According to him, since the end of 2021, the number of people in colonies, prisons, and pretrial detention centers has decreased by about half — from 465,000 to 282,000 people. The last session of the current State Duma will take place on July 27.