Putin’s Soldiers Are Becoming Russia’s Next Deep State

Live updates

1. 27m ago

   Russia Moves War Veterans Into Civilian Jobs and Politics

   The Kremlin is expanding a program that places veterans of the war in Ukraine into civilian roles, public administration, and politics. The Time of Heroes initiative is now open to military personnel without higher education, and Putin has instructed that veterans be prepared for public administration work. Military service will count toward municipal service time, and Russian authorities are requiring employers to hire soldiers who fought in Ukraine, with recruits appearing as kindergarten teachers, school psychologists, and ballet dancers. Quotas for military personnel have been introduced in Crimean educational institutions, and war veterans are being hired as instructors for children's military training. The Center for Public Diplomacy has explained the project's purpose while a Ukrainian fact-checking center called the new stage a fake elite program.

   Why it matters

   These measures follow years of Kremlin efforts to reward military service and integrate veterans into the state apparatus after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Time of Heroes program and related hiring rules appear designed to build a loyal cohort drawn from the war effort and place it across civilian institutions. Whether this creates a durable political bloc or faces resistance from existing bureaucracies remains unresolved.

   What is confirmed

   • Putin instructed that war veterans be prepared for work in public administration
   • Military service will count toward municipal service time in Russia
   • The Time of Heroes program is open to military personnel without higher education
   • Quotas for Russian military personnel in educational institutions have been introduced in Crimea
   • Russian authorities are requiring employers to hire soldiers who fought in Ukraine
   • Russian authorities seek to expand military training for children by hiring war veterans as instructors

   Still unconfirmed

   • The Center for Public Diplomacy explained the true purpose of the Time of Heroes program
   • A Ukrainian fact-checking center described the new stage of Time of Heroes as a fake elite program

   What to watch next

   • Whether Time of Heroes participants win elected or appointed office in upcoming Russian votes
   • Whether employer hiring mandates produce measurable veteran placements in schools and kindergartens
   • Whether veterans hired as instructors expand children's military training programs nationwide
   Sources used for this update (18)

   1. kyivindependent.com — The Kyiv Independent — News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe
   2. www.newsweek.com — Correction policies and requests
   3. www.theguardian.com — AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton: ‘We’re creating alien beings. I’m willing to be selfish and choose humans’ | Donald Trump
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   5. news.inbox.lv — Police close investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death
   6. Newsweek — Putin’s Soldiers Are Becoming Russia’s Next Deep State
   7. Forbes — How Russia’s War Veterans Are Entering Civilian Life And Politics
   8. Інтент — Quotas for Russian military personnel in educational institutions have been introduced in Crimea
   9. Meduza — Russia is requiring employers to hire soldiers who fought in Ukraine. Meduza found they’re being recruited as kindergarten teachers, school psychologists, and even ballet dancers.
   10. Українські Національні Новини (УНН) — Putin instructed that war veterans be prepared for work in public administration — CNS
   11. Говорит НеМосква — "Time of Heroes" will be open to military personnel without higher education.
   12. Українські Національні Новини (УНН) — Russia launches a new selection process for an personnel program for occupiers
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