On October 4, 2026, the Russian government introduced a bill to the State Duma that seeks to change the rules governing how long women can serve in the armed forces. The legislation, identified as bill number 8108-9, was submitted by the executive branch and is now under consideration by the lower house of parliament.
If adopted, the measure would raise the maximum age at which female military personnel may remain in active service from forty‑five to fifty years. For women who hold officer ranks and are placed in the reserve, the ceiling would go from fifty to fifty‑five years. All other female service members would see their reserve limit move from forty‑five to fifty years as well.
The explanatory note attached to the bill stresses that many women serve in highly specialized roles, particularly in medical units that support the ongoing special military operation. These specialists acquire valuable skills over years of service, but under the current age limits they can be forced out before they have earned the length of service required to qualify for housing and pension benefits.
Those already serving would not be retroactively affected by the change; the reform is intended to shape future career paths rather than alter existing contracts.
The note warns that a woman who enlists under contract at age twenty‑five or thirty, and who serves in a posting where no preferential service length is established for pension, could reach the existing age ceiling before completing the twenty years of service needed to secure those benefits. In that case she would risk losing both housing assistance and the pension she would otherwise be entitled to.
The bill’s language makes clear that the new age thresholds would apply only to personnel who enter or continue service after the law takes effect. Those already serving would not be retroactively affected by the change; the reform is intended to shape future career paths rather than alter existing contracts.
Current policy sets the maximum age for women in active duty at forty‑five years. The proposal lifts that to fifty. For female officers in the reserve, the limit would rise from fifty to fifty‑five, while other ranks would see their reserve limit go from forty‑five to fifty. The note cites twenty years as the threshold at which service members become eligible for pension and related savings rights. The legislative initiative carries the designation 8108-9.
The Government of the Russian Federation is listed as supportive of the measure, having brought it forward for debate. The State Duma, meanwhile, is described as neutral at this stage, indicating that the chamber has not yet taken a position for or against the bill as it begins its review.
As of the submission date, the bill rests with the State Duma for further examination. If it passes, the new age limits would shape the future eligibility of women who choose to serve under contract, potentially allowing them to retain specialized expertise longer while safeguarding their access to housing and pension provisions.