Volunteers will begin to compensate for damage to military property — new law of the State Duma

The State Duma at the plenary session adopted immediately in the second and third readings a bill on bringing citizens staying in volunteer formations to material responsibility for causing damage to military property.

The document was submitted to the State Duma in September last year by a group of deputies headed by Committee chairman Andrei Kartapolov. In the first reading, the bill was adopted in October 2023. The amendments are supplemented by the law "On the material responsibility of military personnel."

The bill adopted in the first reading proposed to expand the concept of "serviceman" used in the law and to understand by it, including citizens staying in volunteer formations provided for by the law "On Defense". By the second reading, the profile committee clarified the norms of the draft law, establishing that citizens staying in volunteer formations provided for by the law "On Defense" are held liable for damage to property in the same manner and amount that are provided for military personnel undergoing military service under a contract.

Thus, if volunteers cause damage by negligence, they, like those serving under the contract, will bear financial responsibility in the amount of the damage caused, but not more than one monthly salary and one monthly superannuation for years of service. Volunteers are also subject to the current regulations on full liability (in the amount of damage) for damage caused due to theft, intentional destruction, damage, damage, illegal use of property or other intentional actions. According to the law, such material responsibility is now assigned, among other things, to conscripted and contract servicemen. According to the law, the period of bringing to material responsibility is three years from the date of discovery of damage.

The law is also supplemented by an article on the specifics of compensation for damage and the production of monetary deductions from the monetary maintenance of citizens staying in volunteer formations. It is established that for calculating the amount of compensation for damage, not the full monthly salary is applied, as it is established today for those serving under the contract, but 50% of the volunteer's salary per calendar month. It is also specified that 20% of the money allowance of a member of volunteer formations will be withheld. If a part of the funds is already withheld from his salary, then the total amount of all deductions cannot exceed 50%, TASS reports.