The Russian Cabinet of Ministers supports the legislative initiative banning draft dodgers from holding public office in Russia, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
“In general, we believe that those who did not serve in the armed forces, or rather those who avoided service in the armed forces, should not have the right to hold public office,” he said on Saturday at a congress of volunteer supporters of Russia’s armed forces.
A United Russia deputy, Franz Klintsevich, suggested earlier this month banning people who have not performed their mandatory military service from government jobs and slapping them with a 13 percent tax.
Earlier, RIA Novosti reported that Klintsevich’s proposal failed to win government approval.
As deputy prime minister, Rogozin oversees Russia’s military-industrial complex.