Overview
- President Vladimir Putin approved a new national remembrance date for April 19 to honor victims of the genocide of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.
- The separate law, officially published on December 28, extends existing support frameworks to citizens, NGOs, and volunteers engaged in commemorative activities.
- Socially oriented non-profits now have an explicit mandate to search for unknown burials, recover unburied remains, and establish victims’ identities.
- Regional authorities are authorized to organize memorialization, decide on burials or relocation of unknown graves, and halt construction or earthworks that could disturb remains.
- The NGO and regional authority provisions take effect on January 1, 2026, following their posting on the government’s official legal publication site.