Vladimir Putin has a tantalizing new offer for Russia’s soldiers: swap the rifle for a government ID card and let the war do the talking on your résumé. Today’s fighters are being groomed to become tomorrow’s lawmakers, governors and civil servants. This is no accident, and no mere thank-you for their service; Putin is building a warrior class whose prestige, prospects and place in the Russian establishment derive from participation in his war in Ukraine.
Call it the next deep state—a generation of officials who owe their careers to the special military operation, and whose loyalties will outlast it in the service of the Kremlin. On Monday, the Kremlin opened applications for the third intake of its extremely popular "Time of Heroes" program, which seeks to fast-track military veterans into government and civilian management jobs. Previous intakes required a university degree.
Soldiers who finished high school can now compete for three years of training, including 18 months at Russia’s Presidential Academy, and graduate with state-recognized diplomas. Military achievements count toward selection, meaning combat credentials can open doors that a lack of academic ones once kept shut. More than 5,000 applied within 24 hours, according to Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin’s first deputy chief of staff.
Meanwhile, Moscow is bending the rules of government in favor of Russia’s warfighters. On October 28, 341 lawmakers proposed legislation that would count military service as experience in local government, helping veterans qualify sooner for higher-ranking municipal jobs, salary bonuses and additional paid leave. The proposal follows the State Duma elections in September, in which candidates identified as war veterans won more than 10 percent of parliamentary seats, according to election chief Ella Pamfilova.
Forty-one belonged to Putin’s United Russia party, and 19 of them were participants in earlier rounds of the Time of Heroes program, its organizers say. Other notable program alumni include presidential envoy Artem Zhoga—a former commander of the Russian-backed Sparta militia and senior official of the self-proclaimed, Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic—and Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov. Such prestige and opportunity aren't just rewards for those returning from Ukraine.
They’re an advertisement for those considering whether to go in the first place. Russia already offers signing bonuses worth millions of rubles and monthly war-zone pay starting around 210,000 rubles, roughly $2,500. In the Khanty-Mansi region, the combined one-time signing package currently runs to 4.1 million rubles, or about $50,000.
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