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Russia’s State Duma and Federation Council are reportedly planning to reduce staff in their central offices, RBC reported, citing sources. The reported cuts would mainly eliminate vacant positions, with the two chambers’ current staffing levels and final reduction totals not confirmed.
Russia’s State Duma and Federation Council are planning reductions in their central-office workforces, RBC reported on November 6, citing sources familiar with the plans. The reported cuts range from about 15% to 20% at the State Duma and 10% to 15% at the Federation Council, but the chambers have not publicly confirmed the figures in the source material.
Sources in the State Duma told RBC that the lower house’s administrative staff reduction is expected to fall within a range of roughly 15% to 20%. They said vacant roles would be removed first. The sources also said action might be taken regarding employees who have reached retirement age, but did not describe what those measures could involve.
The Federation Council, Russia’s upper house, is expected to reduce its staff by about 10% to 15%, RBC reported. A source there said the plan did not involve mass layoffs and described the process as gradual. The reported approach would rely on vacancies and staff nearing retirement rather than immediate large-scale dismissals.
The source’s explanation was that dismissing employees could carry substantial costs, including payments for unused leave and severance. That account reflects what the source told RBC; the report does not provide a public staffing plan, a schedule, or an official estimate of savings from either chamber.
How the Cuts Could Be Carried Out
If the reported plans proceed, they would reduce the administrative capacity of both parliamentary chambers, though the scale of the day-to-day effect cannot be assessed from the figures alone. Current staffing totals are not known, and a percentage reduction does not show how many people or roles would be affected.
The reported emphasis on vacancies could mean fewer immediate dismissals than a cut implemented through broad layoffs. At the same time, RBC’s account leaves open whether some current employees would face changes, including those nearing retirement. The distinction matters for staff, parliamentary operations, and any assessment of whether the move is primarily a hiring freeze or a workforce reduction.
The reported plans also connect to a wider government effort to reduce staffing in parts of the federal administration. The eventual impact will depend on which positions are removed, whether services or responsibilities are reassigned, and how much money the chambers expect to save. None of those details is established in the report.
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The 2024 Civil Service Decree
The reported parliamentary reductions are linked to a decree President Vladimir Putin signed in October 2024. According to Meduza’s account of the decree, it calls for reductions of at least 10% in the number of civil servants at territorial offices of federal government agencies, federal courts of general jurisdiction and arbitration courts, and judicial department offices of Russia’s Supreme Court.
The decree directs that funds freed by those reductions be used for bonuses for employees of the relevant agency. The source material does not establish whether, or how, that funding provision would apply to the reported staffing plans at the State Duma and Federation Council. It also does not say that the decree itself specifies the reported percentages for the two chambers.
RBC noted that the exact size of the chambers’ current staffs is unknown. As a historical reference, it reported that the State Duma’s staffing table listed 1,482 positions in February 2011, citing Boris Gryzlov, who was then the lower house’s chairman. That figure is more than 15 years old and cannot establish the Duma’s current headcount or the number of positions that might now be cut.
““No one is going to cut to the bone.””
— A source in the Federation Council, quoted by RBC
Staffing Totals and Layoff Details
The figures come from sources cited by RBC; the source material does not include a public announcement by either chamber confirming the plans. It is not clear when reductions might begin, whether the reported ranges are final, or how many posts they would represent in absolute terms.
It is also unclear which employees, if any, could be directly affected. The report says vacancies would be eliminated first and mentions possible measures involving retirement-age employees, but does not specify whether those could include voluntary departures, changed duties, or dismissals. The expected savings and the effect on parliamentary work have not been disclosed.
Awaiting Formal Plans
The next indicators will be whether the State Duma or Federation Council publicly confirms the reported reductions and releases details on timing, staffing totals, or implementation. Until then, the percentage ranges and proposed methods should be treated as RBC’s reporting based on unnamed sources, not as finalized figures announced by the chambers.
Further information would also clarify whether the cuts are being made under the 2024 decree or through a separate administrative decision, and how any savings would be used. The source material provides no timetable for an official update.
Key Questions
How large are the reported staff reductions?
RBC, citing sources, reported a reduction of roughly 15% to 20% for the State Duma’s central office and about 10% to 15% for the Federation Council’s staff.
Have the two chambers confirmed the plans?
The source material does not include public confirmation from either chamber. The figures are attributed to sources cited by RBC.
Are mass layoffs planned?
A Federation Council source told RBC that no mass layoffs were planned and that vacancies would be removed first. The report does not provide a detailed plan for employees who could be affected.
How many staff members would lose their positions?
The number cannot be calculated from the available information because current staffing totals for the State Duma and Federation Council are not provided. The State Duma figure of 1,482 positions dates to February 2011 and is not a current headcount.
What government policy is linked to the reported cuts?
The report links them to a decree signed by Vladimir Putin in October 2024, which calls for at least 10% reductions in staffing at specified territorial federal agencies and court offices. The source material does not explain how the decree’s requirements apply to the parliamentary chambers.
Source: meduza.io
