MOSCOW, December 21 (AVN) - The Russian government upheld on Thursday amendments to Article 2 of the federal law "Concerning the Status of Servicemen," the government information department told the Military News Agency.
The amendments will allow the Russian president to establish measures of social protection for civilians, and their family members, who died in cases of emergency when carrying out tasks related to the country's defence. Until now, civilians that took part in combat training, military exercises, ship journeys, weapons and equipment testing, as well as their family members, had worse social protection than the military and their families, meaning they were not paid extra money, got less compensation in cases of injury, labour accident, concussion, death, etc.
According to a department spokesman, the amendments are general-purpose ones, so no extra money will be needed to implement it. As the president takes decision on a case-by-case basis, the cost of the presidential benefits will be calculated and the source responsible for financing will be determined.