Putin orders Russian government to provide pensions to former Ukrainian military in the Crimea
Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Russian government, in conjunction with the Ministry of Defense of the country and Kremlin-controlled executive bodies of the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, to take action regarding pensions for Russian citizens who previously served in the Ukrainian armed forces.
As reported on the Kremlin's website, this order by Putin was among the items approved following his trip to the annexed Sevastopol on August 18-20.
In particular, Putin instructed the authorities to take necessary actions aimed at "the preservation of pension provisions for the citizens of the Russian Federation and their provision with living quarters, calculated based on the length of military service in the Armed Forces, military formations and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine."
"If necessary, submit proposals for amending the legislation of the Russian Federation," the order says.
The Military Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine is investigating nearly 15 thousand criminal proceedings against the military of The Autonomous Republic of Crimea on suspicion of treason and desertion. According to the Military Prosecutor of Ukraine, Anatolii Matios, 20% of the total number of these proceedings have already been sent to court.