MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order to send citizens who have signed contracts to serve in the Armed Forces Reserve to training centers in 2026 for the protection of critical facilities.
"In 2026, citizens of the Russian Federation serving in the mobilization human reserves of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be sent to special training centers to ensure the protection of critical facilities and other vital infrastructure," the document says.
The government has been instructed to approve the list of critical facilities and other vital infrastructure to be protected. The Defense Ministry is to determine the list of military units responsible for organizing the special reservist training. The decree comes into force on Tuesday.
Putin signed a law on the call-up of reservists for the protection critical facilities in November. Vladimir Tsimlyansky, Deputy Chief of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said earlier that the initiative "does not involve any mobilization." The plan is to attract "the most prepared and patriotic citizens" to the training.
The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces noted that critical infrastructure also included energy and transportation facilities. It emphasized that reservists "should not be confused with contract soldiers—active military personnel." "The main difference of reservists from contract soldiers is that they combine their time in the reserve with employment at their primary place of employment. A reservist is not a service member and has all the rights of a civilian," Tsimlyansky said. Participants in the special reservist training are entitled to "social guarantees and compensation, insurance payments, and medical care standards similar to those accorded to military personnel.".