Military pensions, ban on messengers, control over transfers: what's new for Russians in June

Summer has come... Beauty: holidays, travel, summer cottages and other holiday joys. And you don't want to think about serious things at all. But work and social life does not know a break, which means that the flow of laws regulating it does not stop either. In June, many legislative and administrative innovations come into force that affect a wide variety of population groups. The changes will affect bank clients and university applicants, military retirees and buyers of medicines, messenger users and parents of first-graders... The key innovations of June with expert comments are in the MK material.

Control over bank transfers

From June 1, suspicious money transfers will be suspended for up to 10 days. The blocking will be carried out by Rosfinmonitoring, which has been given the right to suspend transfers of those bank clients who are suspected of laundering funds obtained by criminal means or financing extremism. The measure is intended, in particular, to protect citizens from the actions of telephone scammers.

Mark Goykhman, analyst at the Capital Skills Financial Academy, comments:

"For ordinary people, the innovation is important because it will strengthen protection against fraudsters, who have become a scourge for many. Suspicion and grounds for suspending transfers may be caused, for example, by a large atypical amount, high frequency of payments. At the same time, this should not affect ordinary, normal transfers of law-abiding citizens. Even if transfers may look unusual at first glance, a person can confirm the legality and necessity of the operation, provide the bank with supporting documents - for example, a property purchase and sale agreement or a gift."

SIM card transfer restrictions

Amendments restricting the transfer of SIM cards to third parties will come into effect on June 1. From now on, it is permitted to transfer SIM cards registered to a specific person only to immediate relatives, the list of which is set out in the Family Code. This list includes parents, brothers and sisters, including step-siblings, grandmothers, grandfathers, children and grandchildren. The changes are aimed at reducing cases of fraud committed using other people's SIM cards.

Vladimir Chernov, analyst at Freedom Finance Global, comments:

"This is another measure in the fight against financial fraud, since the transfer of SIM cards is one of the most frequently used schemes in telephone and bank fraud. From now on, the Law eliminates the loophole for "anonymous" use of mobile communications. In addition, control over digital identifiers and the protection of personal data are strengthened.

At the same time, the innovation has its downsides. These include the inconvenience of purchasing SIM cards for business and for families without formalized relationships (for example, common-law spouses, distant relatives, neighbors-helpers). And there are many of them in modern society. It is also possible that for some users the procedure for purchasing and activating temporary or additional SIM cards will become more complicated."

Cancellation of self-prohibition on loans

From June 1, it will be possible to lift the self-prohibition on receiving loans only by using an enhanced qualified electronic signature (UKEP). The usual login with a password will no longer work. UKEP is a digital analogue of a handwritten signature. Get a certificate in the Gosklyuch application, for confirmation you will need a valid new-style international passport or biometrics, another option is to visit a bank or MFC.

Denis Astafyev, founder of the investment company SharesPro, comments:

"The majority of electronic signatures issued in our country are issued to legal entities. Individuals have UCEP issued much less frequently, since they are almost never required in everyday life. This means that many citizens simply do not have such a signature, which can complicate the process of lifting a self-prohibition on receiving a loan.

But even with an electronic signature, the ban is not lifted instantly. After the application is submitted, the data is sent to the credit history bureau, and the ban is lifted only the next day - such a cooling-off period is introduced to reduce the risk of fraud. If there is no UCEP, it will take time to obtain it, which further delays the loan processing.

An alternative method is to personally contact the MFC, where you can lift the ban by presenting your passport. However, this method is being implemented in stages and will only be completed by September 1, 2025. In this regard, it is recommended to apply for an UCEP in advance or to check in advance the possibility of lifting the ban at the nearest MFC, so as not to encounter delays if you need to urgently apply for a loan."

Ban on the use of instant messengers

From June 1, banks, telecommunications companies and government agencies are prohibited from communicating with citizens and clients via foreign messengers. A message or phone call allegedly from official structures will most likely be an attempt at fraud.

Natalia Milchakova, Leading Analyst at Freedom Finance Global, comments:

"In principle, this is a correct ban, since it is aimed at protecting law-abiding citizens from fraudsters. Now, when you answer a call in a foreign messenger and hear "Police", "Gosuslugi" or even "Central Bank of the Russian Federation" on the line, you can hang up without a doubt and block the suspicious number. And this is a huge plus for the population, whom the state helps to recognize a call from a fraudster in time. However, not everyone will be able to take advantage of this advantage. For example, the innovation is unlikely to affect most elderly people, especially those over 70, since not all of them use messengers, and it turns out that fraudsters will still deceive on the home phones of grandparents. At the same time, many citizens will probably have concerns that a ban on the use of foreign messengers by a government agency may become the "start" for a complete ban on such messengers in Russia. Well, when Russian-made messengers appear (the largest IT companies in the Russian Federation are already working on this), it cannot be ruled out that scammers will take advantage of the legislative loophole and continue to terrorize citizens with calls, but through domestic messengers.”

Blocking the sale of counterfeit and expired drugs

From June 1, a mechanism will be put into effect in Russia that will exclude the possibility of selling expired medical products and medicines whose circulation has been suspended or stopped. The products will be checked in pharmacies automatically through a monitoring system connected to the cash register. It is also envisaged to check identification codes and global identification numbers to exclude the sale of counterfeits.

Ivan Samoylenko, Managing Partner of B&C Agency, comments:

"The system for checking the expiration dates of a number of food products is already successfully operating in Russian retail. At the checkout, you will not be sold a product whose expiration date has expired. And no shortage has arisen as a result of this. It has even become easier for stores to track small balances of goods that they must write off and dispose of, but not sell. And consumers have won, having a guarantee that they will buy products with a normal expiration date.

The process will be the same with medicines. And this will not lead to a shortage or interruptions in the supply of medicines to pharmacies, especially since most drugs can be bought officially online. But no buyer will suffer as a result of using a medicine with an expired shelf life."

Choice of bank by military pensioners and security forces

From June 3, 2025, a provision of the law comes into force, according to which military pensioners and employees of law enforcement agencies can independently choose which bank to receive payments from the state. Now they have access not only to a state bank from the list of the Government of the Russian Federation, as was previously the case, but also to any other bank opened in Russia. Civilian pensioners already have this opportunity. In addition, military pensioners retain the right to receive money at a Russian Post office.

Elman Mekhtiev, founder of the Kredchek service, comments:

"Starting June 3, pensioners of law enforcement agencies will be able to choose any bank for payments. Previously, they were allowed to receive payments only through selected state banks. This change will give such citizens more opportunities for choice, which means that competition for such clients will increase. How many pensioners will take advantage of the new opportunity? The classic division into "innovators", "early followers", "the bulk" and "conservatives" has not been canceled. And in the financial sector, there are almost always few people who are ready to try out certain innovations - only 1%."

And also:

Telecom operators will delay suspicious SMS messages. From June 1, SMS messages with confirmation codes from Gosuslugi will only arrive after a person has finished a phone call. Operators will be required to delay sending if the message is sent using the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA) while a person is talking on the phone. The purpose of such a restriction is to give the subscriber time to think about the code request and the essence of the conversation: the interlocutor may be a criminal who wants to steal personal data.

The start of the admissions campaign to universities. From June 20, applicants will be able to submit documents for admission to bachelor's and specialist's degree programs. Paper documents can be submitted to the admissions office at the university itself. And with the help of the specialized service "Enroll in a University Online" you can submit applications to 5 universities in the country for up to 5 specialties in each. Also, admission to targeted training is available on the unified digital platform "Work in Russia". The admissions campaign will end no earlier than July 7 and no later than July 20.

Completion of first-graders' admission to school. Those who are planning to send their child to study in the first grade at the place of registration should keep in mind: admission will end on June 30. During this period (from April 1 to June 30), children who have benefits, as well as those who live nearby, are admitted to the school. The next stage of admission will begin in July and last until September 5: vacant places in the school will be distributed among those who wish to attend from other areas.