Putin limits foreigners’ opportunities to serve on contract in Russian army
Foreigners legitimately residing in Russia have the right to serve on contract in the Russian army only once, according to a new law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The text of the law has been published on the official legal information portal.
The document makes amendments to the law “On military duty and military service”. As before, foreigners aged 18-30 can sign a contract to serve in the Russian army. Now, however, they can do so only once, whereas previously there were no restrictions. Foreign citizens “may use their right to sign a military service contract only once,” the law now stipulates.
Foreign citizens were given the right to serve in the ranks of the Russian army in 2003. Unlike Russian citizens, foreign contract soldiers do not swear an oath of “fealty to the homeland”, but rather undertake to “adhere to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, strictly comply with the requirements of military regulations, orders from commanders and superiors, and to do their military duty with dignity”.
In 2017, Putin signed a law affirming the right of foreigners who have already served on contract in the Russian army to be involved in “activity to support or restore international peace and security or to stop international terrorist activity outside the territory of the Russian Federation”.