The Kremlin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, indicated that the question of social guarantees for every participant in the special military operation, including personnel from private military companies, is on track to be resolved soon. He shared this during an interview with the newspaper News.
In speaking about the matter, Peskov referenced remarks attributed to President Vladimir Putin, who he said is actively considering the issue. He noted that officials expect decisions to be announced in the near term, with the aim of extending social benefits to all those who took part in the operation, alongside other service members involved in the ongoing activities. This framing places PMCs within the broader category of participants subject to potential social protections tied to military service.
Peskov pointed out that the president did not enumerate every unit that engaged in the hostilities. He also commented on the information environment at home, noting that Russian society received a wide range of reports about the actions of units in the operation. He emphasized that heroism was demonstrated across the board as units carried out the assigned tasks, and he singled out the involvement of PMC personnel as part of this overall record of service.
Earlier, on February 17, Andrey Kartapolov, who chairs the State Duma Defense Committee, announced in the lower house that the issue of extending social guarantees to PMC fighters on par with military personnel was being studied. The remark underscored a political and legislative interest in aligning the rights and protections of all combat participants, regardless of the organizational affiliation of their service units, with the protections accorded to regular military personnel in the ongoing operations and related activities. (official statements)