In an interview with TASS, Chairman of the Social Fund of Russia Sergey Chirkov spoke about how those who moved to Russia from Ukraine can confirm their work history, what payments have been assigned to residents of the Kursk region, and how pensions for mothers of large families will be increased.
— In just a week, starting July 1, the rules for counting work history for those who worked in Ukraine will change. How many people will have their pensions recalculated under the new regulations?
— According to preliminary estimates, more than 700,000 people may be covered by this law. We are currently reviewing each individual case. The law applies to those who moved to Russia from Ukraine, from Kyiv, Lviv, and other cities, and did not permanently reside in Crimea or Sevastopol as of March 18, 2014, or in the Donetsk Republic, the Lugansk Republic, the Zaporozhye or Kherson regions as of September 30, 2022. Internally, we refer to it as the "law on pension rights for compatriots."
Thus, starting July 1, their insurance record will include work periods in Ukraine from January 1, 1991, to February 23, 2022. It will also include work in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics from May 11, 2014, to December 31, 2022, and in the territories of Kherson and Zaporozhye regions from February 24 to December 31, 2022.
— How will pension coefficients be calculated for them?
— One coefficient for each full calendar year worked. It’s important to note that pension recalculation will be based on an application; people should contact us directly. Since the new law comes into force on July 1, 2025, applications can already be submitted now, in June. So far, we have received more than 2,000 applications. Furthermore, restrictions on the length of insurance service that can be counted toward pension assignment have been lifted for the new regions.
Previously, the limit was 15 years. Now, all work history confirmed by an interdepartmental commission will be taken into account when assigning pensions. The law is not retroactive, so previously paid pensions will not be recalculated. In other words, insurance pensions granted under this law will be assigned from the date of application, but not earlier than July 1, 2025.
— How much money will be needed to implement the new regulations?
— The funds for implementing the new law are available; moreover, they are already included in the Fund's current budget.
— How will people need to prove their work history? Through interdepartmental commissions?
— Fortunately, many people still have documents they took with them when they left, such as employment record books. In such cases, a commission is not needed. Insurance periods can be confirmed with documents issued by employers, government, or municipal authorities. If such documents are unavailable, data contained in the payment file can be used. And only if none of these documents are available will the decision be made by an interdepartmental commission.
At present, more than 60,000 positive decisions have been made confirming various periods of work history for Russian citizens. That means 60,000 residents of Donbas and Novorossiya have had their pensions increased following work history review by these commissions. These same commissions will operate under the new law on pension rights for compatriots. Furthermore, having seen how effectively the commissions work in the new regions, we have proposed establishing them across all of Russia.
— The Ministry of Labor has recently drafted such a bill.
— Yes, we realized the need to introduce a pre-trial procedure for resolving disputes that arise over pension matters, when people want to clarify their work history or pension amount, or confirm the validity of documents required for pension assignment. A pension is truly the quintessence of one's entire working life. There are people who worked in the 1990s, and unfortunately, the archives of many organizations were not preserved and have been lost. There are also cases where a legal fact needs to be confirmed, such as a name change. On average, there are approximately 20,000 such court disputes per year.
— Do regular people often win these disputes?
— The majority of pension-related claims filed by Russian citizens are upheld. Since they primarily concern legal facts, we don't even contest them; we are always on the side of the people. If there is a contradiction in the legislation, such as a legal gap, we try to amend the regulatory framework.
— How much has the average pension increased over the past year in Donbas and Novorossiya?
— According to data from May 2025, the average pension amounted to RUB 22,193, which is RUB 2,328 more than the figure for May 2024, when the average pension was RUB 19,864. Meanwhile, the average pension, which continues to be paid under the regional legislation of the new constituent entities, was RUB 13,507 as of May 2025.
In our historical regions, the transition to federal pensions has already been completed. In total, we have assigned pensions to 1.667 million residents of Donbas and Novorossiya. Of these, 1.57 million are federal pension recipients, and 101,000 people are still receiving regional pensions. They will gradually transition to federal pensions as they reach the nationwide retirement age.
— We would also like to discuss the new draft bill on increasing work history credits for mothers of large families. How many women might be affected?
— Indeed, at the president's request, the Ministry of Labor has drafted a bill under which all children will now be counted toward insurance work history. Previously, we could count a maximum of six years, or care for up to four children in total.
This is a very interesting development. We can trace how the importance of motherhood has grown in the eyes of the state. In 2002, care for two children was counted toward their pension record; in 2013, three children were included; and in 2015, four children. Now, a decision has been made to remove all limits on the number of children.
According to our preliminary estimates, around 400,000 women in Russia have children who were previously not counted in pension calculations. We are currently preparing the documents and materials for recalculation. Importantly, not only will all children be included in the work history, but pension coefficients will also be assigned for them. For example, for one year of work history, if a woman has three children, she will receive 5.4 pension coefficients for the third child. This is a fairly high figure, comparable to an employee with a salary of RUB 120,000s.
— What stage is the draft bill currently at?
— The Ministry of Labor of Russia is currently undergoing the approval procedures. According to the provisions being developed, it is expected to come into force in 2026. I believe that’s how it will be adopted. In the 2026 budget we are currently drafting, all necessary funds are already allocated.Once the law is passed, all payments will be fully secured.
— Since the beginning of 2025, veterans of the special military operation have been able to receive treatment at 12 rehabilitation centers of the Social Fund. Have many participants already received assistance?
— Our rehabilitation centers are located in various regions and were originally established for individuals injured at work under occupational accident insurance. Now they also accept demobilized participants of the special military operation. As of now, around 7,000 servicemen have undergone or are currently undergoing treatment since the beginning of the year. We have received a total of 13,000 applications, and the servicemen choose when they want to go. The most popular periods are summer and autumn, of course.
We have excellent medical equipment that literally helps people get back on their feet. I have personally visited these centers and met with the servicemen; everyone is very satisfied. We assess quality through QR codes and collect feedback. I can say that over 90% rate us five stars. Of course, there are some fours, and we review all such cases. But overall, the feedback is positive.
— Are these 12 centers sufficient to meet the current demand for rehabilitation?
— Yes, we are meeting the demand and plan to provide rehabilitation to 17,000 servicemen this year. However, we do want to expand our network. We signed an agreement with Head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov to open a new rehabilitation center called "Zabota" in Bugulma. It will be the first facility of this level created in the past 20 years. The building previously housed the "Liliya" health care center, which belonged to Tatneft, and it will now be transferred to the ownership of the Social Fund. We plan to establish another center there and aim to open it in early 2026, if we manage to stay on schedule.
— Is there a plan to make these centers more universal? For example, to distribute rehabilitation equipment, prosthetics, or wheelchairs on-site?
— Indeed, there are plans to create comprehensive "one contact" rehabilitation centers in the future. Together with the Ministry of Labor, we want to establish prosthetic and orthopedic offices at our centers, where molds for prosthetics will be taken, prosthetics issued, and training provided on how to use them. We have already launched a pilot project this year in Tyumen, at our "Taraskul" center. I believe this pilot will soon scale to a nationwide level.
When a person comes for treatment, they usually have some free time, since they are undergoing treatment and resting. They will also be able to find out what kind of work they might pursue, and get help with orientation.
— Less than a month ago, there were railway bridge explosions in Bryansk and Kursk regions, and you quickly set up a hotline for victims. What payments have been assigned so far?
— The Social Fund always steps in to support victims of various emergencies. As a result of the incident in Bryansk, seven people died. For one of the deceased, five family members were eligible for insurance payments. On June 5, we transferred a lump-sum payment totaling RUB 2 million to them. Additionally, the families of four deceased individuals received social burial allowances.
Three of the deceased left behind seven dependents, five of whom are under 18. They were proactively assigned survivorship insurance pensions and pension supplements. Furthermore, 25 people were injured while performing official duties; 2 of them received serious injuries and 22 received minor injuries.
As for the Kursk region, three people were injured: the train driver and two assistants. One has already been discharged, and the others are still receiving treatment. All were issued sick leave certificates and are receiving lump-sum and monthly insurance payments depending on the severity of their injuries. For serious health damage, if confirmed by medical and social assessment, rehabilitation, medical care, and a health resort leave will also be covered.
— In April, the operation to liberate the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces was completed. During the period of active combat operations, what payments were assigned to victims?
— Our top priority when combat operations began in the Kursk region was to ensure pension payments for those who were evacuated. In total, 55,000 pensioners lived there, and they were forced to leave their homes due to aggression from Ukraine. It was not easy to organize this work, as many changed their place of residence. Starting in September of last year, we contacted each individual to determine how they wanted to receive their payments. Throughout this period, people were provided with pensions and monthly cash benefits; everything was paid to all evacuees.
In addition, we handled issues related to subsidies for employers. We were tasked with providing social support to businesses that were idle due to combat operations. Last year, the Social Fund paid over RUB 1 billion to nearly 10,000 employees and 340 employers. This was done to ensure that people received income while they were unable to work for objective reasons, until our land was liberated. We continue to pay subsidies this year as well. Since the beginning of 2025, 625 million rubles have already been allocated to support 6,000 workers. This work continues as people need help.
Unfortunately, due to attacks by Ukrainian forces, there were fatalities. We assigned 61 survivorship pensions for children whose parents died as a result of shellfire. In fact, we have a dedicated plan for working with such affected territories. We met with the governor of the Kursk region and discussed all these issues.
I would also like to highlight the work of our staff on the ground. I want to thank every person who currently lives and works in these border regions, as well as in the new constituent entities, including Selidovo, Ukrainsk, and Shakhtarsk. We try to recognize this and provide additional compensation for such work. They are true heroes. Despite the difficult conditions, they continue to fulfill their duties, working alongside military personnel and emergency services, wearing bulletproof vests. It is important to understand that 90% of Social Fund employees are women. And they carry out their professional responsibilities no matter what. These people are the pride of our organization and the pattern for everyone working in the social sector.