Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Governor Dmitry Artyukhov has signed into law restrictions on certain forms of free legal assistance for service members and their relatives once a conviction for unauthorized absence from a military unit or desertion takes effect. The law has been published and came into force on the day of publication.
The restrictions set out in the regional law relate to Articles 337 and 338 of Russia's Criminal Code. When information about a final conviction is received, state legal aid offices and lawyers must stop providing assistance in the specific circumstances listed in the law.
At the same time, the law expands free legal support for participants in the war and their families on other grounds, including establishing legally significant facts, restoring the deadline for accepting an inheritance, and resolving disputes over benefits and compensation. Relatives may also receive assistance in cases seeking legal declarations that a service member is missing or deceased.
The restriction applies only to the types of state-funded assistance specified in the law, and only after a conviction enters into force. Merely opening a criminal investigation or filing charges is not among the grounds for ending assistance set out in the document.