The government in Moscow moved to recognize common-law spouses of participants in a special military operation (SVO) as legal spouses, a policy shift reported by TASS and now shaped for parliamentary consideration. The move signals a broader effort to align the status of families affected by military service with formal marital arrangements, potentially broadening access to benefits for surviving partners who lived with the service member before his death.
During the bill’s consideration, the government indicated it would push for passage at the second reading, outlining a condition tied to the existence of the relationship prior to the soldier’s death. In practical terms, the proposal would allow a de facto marriage to be treated as a legitimate union for purposes of posthumous recognition, provided there is documented proof that the couple lived as spouses before the veteran’s passing and did not hold a separate registered marriage.
In its official commentary, the cabinet emphasized the need for clear safeguards. It stated that none of the individuals in a de facto relationship, once court-recognized as a marriage, should simultaneously be in another registered marriage. This clause aims to prevent duplicative or conflicting marital statuses while ensuring the new recognition does not create loopholes that could undermine existing civil arrangements or welfare eligibility rules.
Sergei Shoigu, who previously led the Defense Ministry, had already signaled broad reforms related to veterans’ benefits. In April, he noted the introduction of electronic certificates for war veterans. These digital documents were designed to streamline access to payments for those who participated in the SVO, enabling recipients to collect funds from the military department along with federal and regional benefits, without the need to submit individual applications. The move was framed as part of a wider modernization effort to make financial support more responsive and less burdensome for veterans and their families, leveraging online verification to expedite eligibility checks and disbursements.
Earlier actions by the Council of Ministers also included approval of new rules governing payments in cases where children living near the NWO area experience injuries. Those rules were designed to ensure timely and predictable support for families likely to face heightened needs due to proximity to ongoing operations, reflecting a broader policy trend toward targeted assistance for dependents and close relatives affected by the security landscape surrounding the operation.