Patriotic consensus

Challenges for the state — challenges for society

CAUGHT IN THE HEAT OF GLOBAL INSTABILITY CAUSED BY A SYSTEMIC CRISIS OF INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS DESIGNED TO ENSURE THE COORDINATION OF THE INTERESTS OF INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES, ALLIANCES, MILITARY-POLITICAL BLOCS AND ENSURE COMMON SECURITY IN THE WORLD, RUSSIA HAS FACED MANY CHALLENGES THAT REQUIRED REVIEWING THE BASIC FOUNDATIONS AND STRATEGIES OF STATE POLICY, NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS, AND LEGAL FRAMEWORKS.

The world’s globalization processes that have taken place in recent decades have revealed a fundamental contradiction between the traditional values historically formed through the natural development of states and the universal values of the new ever-globalizing world. Public discussions on preserving and protecting traditional values that have been formed over the centuries in Russian society have become logical in the current situation, resulting in active public participation in the proposal and discussion of amendments to the Constitution, which the President of Russia, in his Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on January 15, 2020, proposed to introduce.

The “people’s” amendments, fixing the basic value foundations of Russian society, were proposals to enhance the rule on protecting the family institution and traditional family values as one of the foundations of Russia’s civilizational identity, preserving historical memory and countering history perversion, and legislatively fixing the need to preserve cultural heritage.

During the constitutional plebiscite, the national consensus testified to the relevance and timeliness of introducing amendments to the country’s Basic Law that would enshrine traditional values.

Russia, as well as all of humanity, faced a large-scale challenge – the coronavirus pandemic – that upended, and at the same time united the entire Russian society encompassing the state, civil society, and business.An event that triggered various global processes, the pandemic had a comprehensive and devastating impact on the health of citizens, on their quality of life, and on the global economy, actualizing and sharpening a number of social problems on a national and international scale – problems that urged collective efforts to overcome them.

Along with the extensive measures taken by the state to support the population and the economy, the active work of volunteers, nonprofit organizations, individual volunteers, together with doctors who took the brunt of the pandemic waves, showed that a broad social consensus has formed in society on direct participation in providing assistance, expressed in an unprecedented growth of confidence in the activities of volunteers and socially oriented nonprofit organizations, as well as in the implementation of general civil initiatives.

However, the pandemic has also revealed some serious problems. The global economy, built on the international division of labor and production, under the conditions of a total lockdown, revealed its weakness while being faced with COVID-19.¹ International cooperation failed the efficiency test because the world was not ready to stand in solidarity and unity in its fight against the virus, and the COVID-19 pandemic, being a full-blown crisis, was superimposed on serious geopolitical tensions and other global threats with unpredictable and dangerous consequences, exacerbating mutual distrust and rivalry.

The ongoing imbalance of international relations resulted in a further split and confrontation in the world community, not only between individual countries, but between military-political associations and unions of states having different ideas of national development and political vision of the future as well. This conflict inevitably affected Russia as well.

In 2021, amid the growing tensions between Russia and a number of Western countries, a significant aggravation of the conflict in the Donbass territory took place. Given another sharp aggravation of the humanitarian and military situation in the Donbass and the ongoing region’s people evacuation into the territory of Russia, the heads of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics appealed to the Russian President with a request to recognize the independence of the republics and consider the possibility of concluding an agreement on friendship and cooperation between the parties. The corresponding agreement was ratified by the Russian Federation on February 22, 2022.

On February 24, 2022, in his special address to the state’s citizens, the Russian President announced the start of a special military operation to protect Donbass, explaining the reasons and goals of the special operation, and noting further that the current military infrastructure of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) has come close to our borders, and Ukraine is gradually gaining a new foothold for the alliance, putting Russia’s security and sovereignty in danger.

A boy during a performance at the “We do not leave our men behind!” rally on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow. September 23, 2022. Ilya Pitalev / RIA Novosti

The Western countries responded to this decision with an increase in large-scale sanctions put up against the Russian economy, which has no precedent in recent world history. As this year has shown, the anti-crisis actions of the Russian Government coupled timely measures taken to increase the stable state of the economy and support citizens facing sanctions pressure on Russia made it possible to avoid crisis options for economy expansion, to find internal points of growth and new promising areas as part of international economic cooperation.

Put under the conditions of external pressure on Russia, civil society institutions note the ongoing formation of a high level of public consent throughout the year – a patriotic consensus, which has proven the determining factor in the positive attitude of the majority of Russian citizens to the adoption of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions as part of Russia following the referenda results.

Today, the Russian state, together with civil society, faces a large and lengthy work to integrate these new entities into a single socio-economic, legal, cultural, and political space of the Russian Federation.

Trust as a public life factor

AMID A SYSTEMIC CRISIS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, GLOBAL POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION AND CHANGING MODELS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MAINTAINING THE TRUST-BASED SOCIAL STABILITY OF SOCIETY APPEARS OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE. INSTITUTIONAL TRUST IS PEOPLE’S TRUST IN VARIOUS SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS EXISTING IN SOCIETY – A FUNDAMENTAL CONDITION FOR ANY STATE TO EXIST. THESE KEY INSTITUTIONS INVOLVE THE ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE WHO EXERCISE POLITICAL POWER IN THE STATE, ORGANIZATIONS THAT CHARGED WITH SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND ALL ORGANIZATIONS RELATED DIRECTLY TO THE WELL-BEING OF CITIZENS.

Employees of the election commission at a polling station in Donetsk count the votes following the results of the referendum on the DPR joining Russia. September 27, 2022. RIA Novosti

Today, amid the growing external threats put up against Russia and general political uncertainty in the world, a growing confidence of citizens throughout the year remains both in the main political institutions of the country and in public institutions. Social experts note that similar sharp changes in sentiment were observed in 2014⁹, when the vast majority of Russian society supported Russia’s incorporation of Crimea. Sociological surveys taken 5 years after the referendum testified to the persistence of the phenomenon in Russian society that sociologists and political scientists dubbed the “Crimean consensus”, that is, meeting a request for the values of sovereignty, the nation’s consolidation and the nationalization of elites in Russian society.¹⁰

Contrary to a number of forecasts that predicted a split in society and a crisis of confidence in the state bodies, sociological surveys have consistently recorded the opposite trend throughout this year – the unified Russian society, its consolidation while being put up against growing external threats in tackling emerging problems. The growth in confidence has affected political and public institutions and economic organizations.

One of the major civil society institutions in the country, Russian NPOs did not stand aside as well. On February 28, 2022, the leaders and activists of the largest Russian NPOs published an open appeal “Stand with the President and the country!” – this was initiated by the Civic Chamber. Over a 15 thousands active citizens of our country – NPO representatives – expressed their support and confidence in the Russian President and called for unifying all social forces.

The growing confidence level in state and public institutions in Russian society amid a significant aggravation of the military-political situation in the Donbass predetermined a broad social demand for support for humanitarian initiatives aimed at helping and supporting residents of the hostility-affected territories.

Combining the humanitarian efforts of the society to help and support Donbass residents

THE RECENT-YEAR CHALLENGES HAVE FORCED MANY RUSSIANS TO TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT CHARITABLE AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES, WHICH HAVE COME TO BE PERCEIVED AS A SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, A RESOURCE FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE, ALLOWING TO ADDRESS MAJOR SOCIAL TASKS AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL TOGETHER WITH THE STATE. AMONG OTHER THINGS, PARTICULAR SOLIDARITY IN RUSSIAN SOCIETY WAS FORMED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE PANDEMIC, REFLECTING A BROAD SOCIAL DEMAND BOTH FOR THE DIRECT INVOLVEMENT OF RUSSIAN CITIZENS IN EXTENDING ASSISTANCE AND SOCIALLY USEFUL ACTIVITIES AND FOR “TAKING CARE OF ONESELF”, WHICH WAS REFLECTED IN A RECORD TRUST LEVEL OF OUR COUNTRY’S CITIZENS TO VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY-FOCUSED NPOs. THIS LEVEL OF TRUST STILL REMAINS, WITH A NEW CHALLENGE LOOMING ON THE HORIZON – THE AGGRAVATION OF THE SEVERE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS THAT HAS BEEN UNFOLDING IN THE DONBASS FOR TERRITORY THE PAST EIGHT YEARS.

Since August 2014, by decision of the Russian authorities, humanitarian aid has been delivered to the Donbass on an ongoing basis. Over the years, more than 100 consolidated convoys of the Russian Emergencies Ministry have delivered 85,000 tons of humanitarian cargo in the DPR and LPR territory – food, medicine, and basic necessities.¹¹ On February 18, 2022, put up against the escalated hostilities in the conflict zone, the LPR and DPR authorities announced the evacuation of the civilian population to Russia.¹²

Between February 18 and 23, over 100 thousand people crossed the Russian border searching for refuge from the hostilities.¹³ Refugees were placed in temporary residences, which were deployed in various country regions, primarily alongside the state border.

Public bodies and ordinary citizens joined the efforts of the authorities, offering refugees assistance in finding employment, adaptation, finding housing, and temporary accommodation.

Medical workers at a temporary accommodation center (TAC) for refugees from Mariupol at Olympic Reserve School No. 13 in Taganrog, Rostov Region. March 17, 2022. Sergey Pivovarov / RIA Novosti

Charitable organizations in many Russian cities have announced the fundraising and collection of money, warm clothes, medicines, durable food, and hygiene products to help the evacuated Donbass residents. The centralized collection of humanitarian aid started off as part of the #WeAreTogether campaign. In Moscow, collection centers were opened in eleven co-workings of the NPO“Dushevnaya Moskva” (Soulful Moscow). Activists of the ANO “Youth of the Capital” accepted stationery for children, and students of the Moscow State University of Food Production collected baby food packages.

The launched special military operation urged a significant expansion and increased support for internally displaced persons as well as assistance for victims of hostilities. Just as during the pandemic, the forces of civil society rallied and acted in unity, supporting humanitarian projects and initiatives aimed to help the Donbass residents. Over the first four months, more than 35,000 tons of essential items, food, medicines, and medical supplies were dispatched, and 1,197 humanitarian actions were taken.¹⁴

In April 2022, as part of promoting volunteer efforts, the Decree of the Russian President “On Supporting Volunteering in the Territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic” was issued.¹⁵

On March 31, 2022, the Civic Chamber of Russia, supported by the Russian Red Cross, the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps and sponsored by the #WeAreTogether volunteer project, opened the Public Center for raising humanitarian aid for Donbass residents

The Center accepted and dispatched about 6,000 unique items of humanitarian aid to Donbass with a total weight of

>7,5 tons

The eighth truck carrying food and veterinary drugs being dispatched as part of the ZooFriend project to help animal volunteers, shelters and equestrian clubs of the Lugansk People’s Republic. The initiator of the ZooFriend campaign, member of the Civic Chamber of Russia Elena Sharoikina, professor and TV presenter Nikolai Drozdov, chairman of the Civic Chamber of the LPR Alexei Karyakin took part in dispatching the cargo. November 2, 2022

“Mom’s Window” project https://womenprolife.ru/projects/24

“Share Sunshine” foundation https://sunlightfond.ru/

All-Russian campaign “ZooFriend” https://t.me/zoo_drug

THE CENTER’S PARTNERS ARE:

• The “Mom’s Window” project, which provides food for women with children in the Donbass. The project is being implemented by the “Women for Life” charitable foundation, which helps women in complex life situations. The Civic Chamber site allocated for the project has already raised

  >1,5 tons

  of humanitarian aid

• The “Share Sunshine” foundation, which extends support to perinatal centers and medical institutions, families and children in rehabilitation, payment for operations and obtaining medical advice. The Foundation raises funds for procuring medical equipment needed in the Donetsk perinatal center, accepts medical supplies, baby food, hygiene products, and clothes

• The All-Russian campaign “ZooFriend”, which provides assistance to zoos and shelters in Donbass. The campaign raises money, feed and veterinary drugs. Help is sent to zoos and animal shelters.

  >6 tons

  of feed and veterinary drugs were raised as part of the project at the Civic Chamber site alone

• In total,

  150 tons

  of cargo for animals were dispatched to Donbass as part of the project

The Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, together with the Association of Volunteer Centers, was tasked with determining the procedure for selecting and training volunteers for activities in the Donbass, and the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Defense were instructed to ensure a safe and organized procedure for crossing the state border by volunteers. The Decree provided for lump-sum payments to volunteers who could have suffered through humanitarian operations.

On March 31, 2022, the Volunteer Corps of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, sponsored by the all-Russian action #WeAreTogether, opened the Public Center for raising humanitarian aid. Since the beginning of the special military operation, the center has raised over 5,000 tons of humanitarian cargo for the citizens of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, and the collection of humanitarian aid continues today. The Center collects and sends humanitarian aid to the affected territories and also coordinates the efforts of citizens, other charity-engaged organizations and associations. The key center partners were the All-Russian Public Organization “Russian Red Cross”, the Charitable Foundation for Supporting Family, Motherhood and Childhood “Women for Life”, the All-Russian Public Movement of Volunteers in Healthcare “Volunteers-Medics”, the All-Russian Public Youth Organization “The All-Russian Student Rescue Corps”, and Charitable Foundation “Share Sunshine”.

The “ZooFriend” project aimed to raise aid for Donbass zoos and shelters has become resident of the Public Center for raising humanitarian aid for the Donbass residents in the Civic Chamber. As part of the campaign, eight trucks of veterinary drugs, household chemicals, building materials, and animal feed have already been sent to Donbass, and the total weight of the delivered aid has exceeded 150 tons.¹⁶ Civic chambers of regions of the Russian Federation also joined in raising humanitarian aid.

To date, over 870 humanitarian aid collection centers have been opened in 81 Russian regions based on the #WeAreTogether regional headquarters, schools, public organizations and regional branches of the Russian Red Cross.

The Russian regions also took an active position, taking patronage over certain Donbass territories that suffered the most during the hostilities. Over 40 regions of the Russian Federation have decided to provide comprehensive assistance in restoring the region infrastructure.¹⁷ The Russian capital has become the Donetsk and Lugansk supervisor.

Since June 14, convoys with the necessary assistance for restoration work have been arriving in the most affected Donbass cities and towns.¹⁸

Projects to support the nonprofit sector and public associations in the liberated territories have become the most important area of work for Russian civil society institutions in the Donbass. As part of the corresponding Civic Chamber project,¹⁹ resource centers are being set up on the territory of the republics, a single base of organizations that are willing to help develop the nonprofit sector, and training seminars are held for social activists is being formed.

In June 2022, the Resource Center for Support of Nonprofit Organizations and Public Initiatives “NPO House”²⁰ was established in the Lugansk People’s Republic, which is working on an active basis to foster the formation and development of civil society institutions, promotes familiarization of public associations, nonprofit organizations and initiative groups with the practices of the nonprofit sector of the Russian Federation, and mutual integration of civil society institutions. Today, this experience is being broadcast to all territories of the new Russian regions.

For its part, the state actively supported public initiatives aimed at helping the Donbass region. From July 15 to August 15, a Special Competition of the Presidential Grants Foundation was held, aimed to provide grants from the President of the Russian Federation for implementing social, charitable, educational, and environmental projects in partnership with Donbass nonprofit organizations and volunteer communities. Following the competition results, 493 projects out of 2,141 submitted were supported.²¹ 2 billion rubles of fund-raised support was allocated to finance projects. 121 out of 493 supported projects will be implemented in the new regions’ territories: residents will be provided with humanitarian assistance, will be taken care of by doctors, psychologists, rehabilitation specialists, and volunteers will work in the conflict zone to help carry out urgent home repairs and prepare for the winter season. 234 initiatives are aimed at supporting people who were forced to leave their homes: they will collect winter clothes and shoes for them, help them complete documents, get a new profession, medical and psychological assistance, find and pay for tutors for children.²²

The Russian President also decided to allocate 1 billion rubles to support cultural projects for integration the Donbass and the annexed territories as part of the work of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The competition was held in six thematic units: “We are proud”, “We do not leave our men behind!” “, “New opportunities”, “Heroes of Donbass – Heroes of Russia”, “We are together”, and “Cultural code”. Projects representing the historical unity of Donbass with Russia, the succession of history, the development of sister city ties between Donbass and new territories with regions and cities of Russia, the harmonious coexistence of people of different ethnicities and cultures, educational, volunteer and partnership projects, including media and culture, have gained state support.²³

This year has testified to the maturity of Russian civil society, which is manifested every dimension. Civil society has shown its unity and was able to come to the aid of those who really need it in the most difficult moment. Charitable foundations, public organizations, Russian regions and volunteers are working in the Donbass, putting into practice the call that has become the meaning and value of life for all participants in humanitarian projects – “We do not leave our men behind!”.

Social and partial military mobilization

THE EXTRAORDINARY NATURE OF THE SITUATION WHERE THE PARTIAL MOBILIZATION WAS ANNOUNCED IS EMPHASIZED BY THE FACT THAT THE LAST TIME IN THE HISTORY WHEN OUR COUNTRY WAS MOBILIZED WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR. THE PROCEDURE FOR PARTIAL MOBILIZATION, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED IN THE COUNTRY FROM SEPTEMBER 21 TO OCTOBER 31, 2022, WAS REGULATED BY THE FEDERAL LAW OF FEBRUARY 26, 1997 No. 31-FZ “ON MOBILIZATION TRAINING AND MOBILIZATION IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION”, WHICH HAS NOT YET BEEN APPLIED SINCE IT WAS SIGNED.

Given the absence of the Decree on mobilization and official explanations about the procedure for its implementation in the first days, the total number of citizens summoned and the order and criteria for being summoned to state authorities, public institutions began to receive complaints concerning the legal character of summoning individual citizens. Some cases were widely reported in social media, which contributed to the escalated tension and anxiety in Russian society.

To promptly inform citizens, the Russian Ministry of Defense launched a hotline for those summoned during partial mobilization and relatives of those mobilized.²⁴ The Russian state authorities promptly began active work to enhance legislation. Extensive measures were taken to support mobilized citizens and their families, the rights to payment holidays were secured for both individuals and entrepreneurs, labor guarantees, and guarantees in the housing and communal services sector were provided.²⁵ Servicemen involved in the special military operation are recognized as military veterans.²⁶

From the very beginning of the special military operation, the volunteer assistance to servicemen and military volunteers has become a separate significant area of volunteer activity.

In May 2022, the All-Russian Popular Front launched a large-scale fundraising project to support the power units of Donbass “Everything for Victory!”.²⁷ The project brought together the efforts of war correspondents, actors, athletes, bloggers, volunteers, and numerous concerned citizens all over Russia who organized the purchase of necessary things for military units engaged on the front lines. Russian war correspondents played a major role in arranging this work, who became a link between fighters and volunteers, directly conveying information about what military units on the front line needed²⁸ – this stimulated a significant expansion of volunteer activities in this direction, while private entities, individual entrepreneurs, public organizations, journalists, and public opinion leaders joined the activists.

Drivers of military equipment who delivered an infantry fighting vehicle with the RF Armed Forces military personnel, called up as part of partial mobilization, to the place of combat missions in the Lugansk People’s Republic. October 24, 2022. Viktor Antonyuk / RIA Novosti

The heads of a number of Russian regions organized fundraising for those mobilized for the purpose of equipping military personnel with the highest quality items,²⁹ special platforms were provided, and regional funds were opened to transfer funds more easily, which first contributors were often representatives of the relevant state authorities.³⁰

Assessing the complexity of the current predicament, civil society institutions joined in monitoring and tackling the problems identified through the partial mobilization almost immediately after it was announced.

On September 25, 2022, the All-Russian Popular Front deployed centers in the Russian regions to assist citizens whose rights were violated during partial mobilization. The initiative authorities noted that chaotic actions are unacceptable, when, for the sake of fulfilling the “order list”, those who follow the law and directives of the Ministry of Defense are enlisted and sent to the front line illegally, and the life and supply of the mobilized are not arranged in a proper way.³¹

Volunteers of the Russian public movement #WeAreTogether, supported by the All-Russian Popular Front, established a round-the-clock hotline for families of mobilized and servicemen engaged in the special military operation. As part of the hotline, legal consultations were carried out jointly with the Russian Ministry of Justice, and psychological assistance was extended by the Russian Red Cross, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and volunteer psychologists. In just the first four days of the hotline’s operation, more than 16,000 mobilized servicemen turned to specialists and volunteers for help. The overwhelming majority required clarification as to which categories of citizens are subject to partial mobilization. Over a thousand appeals in this short period were related to errors in documents, when summons came to people who were not supposed to be mobilized. Due to the coordinated work of public organizations and relevant departments, they made it back home safely.³²

For its part, the Civic Chamber, noting the well-shaped request in society, proposed to provide the costs of full reserve logistics of the mobilized, as well as to review the stocks and additional supply of the population means of protection against emergency situations for 2023 budget and for the 2024 and 2025 planning period.

On September 29, 2022, during a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council, the Russian President noted that there has been many issues related to the organization of conscription, the quality of supplies, and the provision of living conditions that cause concern among citizens as part of the mobilization-related activities. The Russian President demanded that all mistakes be corrected and avoided further on, examining each such case on a separate basis.

On October 19, 2022, the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights under the President of the Russian Federation submitted a report on the results of monitoring the implementation of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On the Announcement of Partial Mobilization in the Russian Federation” to the Government of the Russian Federation and corresponding State Duma and Federation Council committees. The report analyzed the legal and regulatory framework for partial mobilization, assessed the problems identified during its implementation, and prepared legal and substantive recommendations.

In particular, human rights activists, noted significant shortcomings in the information interaction of the authorities with the population on conducting mobilization-related activities. The low degree of awareness of military commissariats on citizens subject to conscription, the absence of medical commissions at recruiting stations in a number of cases, as well as the absence of information on the military specialty or advanced training of medical workers called up for mobilization were noted. Numerous issues in the servicemen conscription were related to the legislatively unsettled issue of the possibility of alternative civilian service by conscripted persons as well as inaccuracies in the criteria for granting a deferment from military service on mobilization in the relevant law.

Medical examination at the training facility of the Russian Armed Forces in the village of Pakino in the Vladimir Region, where the collection point for men called up for military service during partial mobilization is located. September 26, 2022. RIA Novosti

The submitted report emphasized further that all mobilization-related efforts should be targeted and exercised by authorized bodies in relation to a single citizen, but in no case by the “raids” methods in transport, at home, or at work.

Based on paragraph 8 of the Decree on mobilization, the provision of servicemen conscription was entrusted to the highest officials of the Russian regions. In this regard, the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Civil Society and Human Rights noted that not all heads of regions treated the implementation of these powers with due responsibility. The discriminatory character of the measures provided to support citizens called up for mobilization was observed at the regional level. This was expressed both in the financial volume of support as well as the complete absence of additional benefits, social protection and payments in a number of regions. The Council noted that the practice of refusing assistance to persons called up for military service for mobilization in the regions, which would be justified by a lack of funds, is unacceptable.

On October 21, 2022, to enhance the coordination of the activities of federal executive authorities and executive authorities of the Russian regions through the special military operation, the Russian President signed a Decree on establishing a Coordination Council led by the Government of the Russian Federation to meet the needs of the Russian Armed Forces, other troops, military units and bodies.³³ The head of the Government of the Russian Federation became the chairperson of the newly-established Council.

A serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces unloading humanitarian aid raised by civilians in Russia, the Zaporozhye Region. Servicemen called up as part of partial mobilization were provided with medicines, means of communication, and entrenching shovels. October 9, 2022. RIA Novosti

The Council will make decisions on all issues related to the provision of the armed forces with the required equipment and material resources, as well as ensure control over their implementation. The Council will further coordinate digitalization, automation, and information and analytical support in defense, including the establishment of databases of country mobilization base.

As the Russian President noted during the first meeting of the Coordination Council, it is important to do all this “now, when we are also faced with the need to resolve at a faster pace issues related to conducting the special military operation and to the fight against those restrictions in the economic sphere we are currently facing.”³⁴

On October 31, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the completion of all mobilization-related activities. Following the department’s initiatives, the further work of the military commissariats in recruiting the Russian Armed Forces will only be organized to accept volunteers and candidates for enlistment by contract.³⁵

Partial mobilization, in turn, has yielded a high level of social mobilization of Russian society, its ability to pose problematic issues to the state as well as offer effective solutions, together with the state involved directly in their implementation.

Partial military mobilization has been completed but the economy mobilization is still in progress. The goal is to provide a response to geopolitical challenges and to seize new opportunities and full potential in establishing economic and technological independence. The success of this transition will rest upon the unified efforts of state authorities, civil society institutions, and every country citizen.