The new law allows those who sign a one-year contract to fight in Ukraine After the first of next December, by “getting rid of existing unpaid debts, which also includes their wives.”
The legislation relates to debts for which a court order was issued to collect, and implementation procedures began before December 1, 2024.
The total outstanding debt that can be covered is 10 million rubles, or about $96,000 at current exchange rates.
The Russian Parliament approved the draft law earlier this November.
The law is largely aimed at young Russians of fighting age, because people in their 30s and younger are most likely to take out loans.
“Previously (for fighters) there was only the possibility of postponing loan repayments,” Sergey Krivenko of Citizen Army Law said via Telegram.
He explained that the new legislation applies to those who are recruited for national service and are mobilized for what is called “Special military operation“, the name Russia gives to its war in Ukraine.
According to a report issued by the Central Bank last month covering the first two quarters of the year, more than 13 million Russians received three or more loans, and this represents an increase of 20 percent compared to the same period last year.
The average amount owed by those with three or more loans is 1.4 million rubles ($13,400 at current prices).
Ukraine also has legislation that allows fighters to obtain preferential terms for loans and, in some cases, to write off debts.
