MOSCOW. June 21 (Interfax) - The Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, approved a bill on Wednesday that allows citizens who have a criminal conviction and those found to be fit for military service with restrictions to serve in the Russian Armed Forces under contract.
This approach will be applied during periods of mobilization and martial law and in time of war, the bill said.
Under the bill, citizens found fit for military service with restrictions can serve under contract if they have no illnesses listed by the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to the bill's explanatory note, "a considerable number of citizens who want to become contract servicemen with whom contracts cannot be signed have been found." In particular, these are citizens who have a criminal conviction. The Russian legislation currently envisages the possibility of calling up said category of citizens for military service under mobilization, with the exception of those who have committed sexual crimes, people convicted for terrorism, high treason, espionage, and other grave and especially grave crimes
Under the bill, the age limit for contract service in these periods for people with military ranks of senior officers to colonel general and admiral is 70 years, and the age limit for people with other military ranks is 65 years.
The bill also allows military service contracts to be signed with all male citizens under the age of 65, regardless of whether they are in the army reserve.
The document also specifies what constituent elements of crimes against the sexual inviolability of minors that prohibit persons convicted of such crimes from being called up for military service during mobilization. Sabotage-related crimes have been added to the list of crimes that stop persons found guilty of committing them from being called up for military service during mobilization.