MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered to draft by May 17 amendments regarding the right of regional authorities to decide on measures aimed at social support of families of soldiers involved in the special military operation, the official website of the Cabinet of Ministers said in a statement on Sunday.

"The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Economic Development have been instructed to draft proposals regarding legislative amendments that would give local authorities the right to develop and implement social support and assistance program measures for the families of servicemen involved in the special military operation," the statement reads.

Russia’s special military operation

On February 21, 2022, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, (the DPR and LPR respectively). Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions as of the beginning of 2014.

Russian President Putin announced on February 24, 2022, that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance, he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.

From September 23 to September 27, 2022, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic as well as the Kherson Region and the Zaporozhye Region held a referendum where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.

On September 30, 2022, President Putin and the heads of the DPR, the LPR, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their entry to Russia. Later, the State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of Russia’s parliament) approved legislation on ratifying these treaties, as well as federal constitutional laws on the accession of the four regions to Russia.