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Chairman of the Social Fund of Russia Sergey Chirkov, in an interview with the RIA Novosti, spoke about the main achievements of the Fund over its first year of operation since its establishment, the support provided to families with children, the work of branches in the new regions, and shared details about the preparation of a unified registry of Russians in need and the agency's development plans. Interview by Anastasia Kyosya.

The Social Fund of Russia has paid out over 100,000 electronic sick leave certificates to residents of the new constituent entities. The main advantage of the electronic sick leave is that it is issued and maintained online. In terms of the information contained, the electronic certificate is identical to its paper counterpart and is accepted by all organizations.

The Social Fund has assigned pensions under Russian legislation to more than one million residents of the new constituent entities, according to Sergey Chirkov, Fund Chairman. 474,000 pensions have been issued in the Donetsk Republic, 373,000 in the Lugansk Republic, 140,500 in the Zaporozhye region, and 54,000 in the Kherson region.

The Social Fund of Russia has assumed the responsibilities of the pension authorities of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Kherson region. Since December 1, Social Fund branches have been providing regional pension payments to residents registered with local pension funds.

The Social Fund has approved the payment of a unified benefit for 255,000 children in the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Additionally, 6,000 pregnant women residing in the new Russian regions are receiving funds.

Since November, the Social Fund of Russia (SFR) has assumed the responsibilities of the pension authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Zaporozhye region. Regional pensions and benefit payments for residents previously registered with local pension funds are now provided by Social Fund branches.

From March 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024, a transitional period is in effect in the new regions, during which citizens may apply for Russian pensions at any time. In such cases, payments will be assigned retroactively from March 1, 2023, but not earlier than the date the individual became eligible.

More than 93,000 families from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, have obtained maternity capital certificates both within the new constituent entities and in other regions of the country.

The Social Fund has approved the payment of a unified benefit for more than 200,000 children in the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Additionally, over 3,800 pregnant women residing in the new Russian regions are receiving funds.

Since the beginning of the year, residents of the four new constituent entities of Russia have received more than one million services from the Social Fund. Most payments and support measures under Russian legislation began to be processed in the new regions starting in March, while certain services were available from the beginning of the year.