Russian President Vladimir Putin Saturday signed a decree granting monthly benefits to migrants who fled Ukraine and entered Russian territory. The decree extends monthly payments of 10,000 rubles ($166) to disabled people, people over the age of 80, and pregnant women who entered Russia from Ukrainian territory as well as the disputed Donbas region.
The decree covers migrants who entered Russia after February 18, with payments extending through December 31.
This decree is the most recent addition to a series of decrees regarding people displaced by the war in Ukraine. Previously, on March 6, Putin signed a decree extending access to free medical care for refugees from the Donbas region and Ukraine. On July 11, Putin signed another decree allowing for all Ukrainian citizens to apply for Russian citizenship through a simplified procedure.
Russia’s decrees have been met with criticism from the Biden administration in the US. National Security Counsel Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby recently said he believes Russia is “attempting to annex additional Ukrainian territory.”