Russia has a plan to put children to work since so many men are fighting Putin's war in Ukraine

• Russia is planning to change its child labor laws to allow kids as young as 14 into the workforce more easily.
• They will no longer need approval from a guardian or a social services agency to be hired.

Russia is planning to loosen its child labor laws to let kids as young as 14 years old hold jobs in the workforce, according to a release from the United Russia party.

Russia is facing labor shortages caused by the absence of nearly 300,000 people from their jobs and onto the battlefield to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war in Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported.

In United Russia's statement, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy Artyom Metelev cited "studies" that claim "9 out of 10 teenagers would like to start working before the age of 18, but they cannot officially find a job. "

"We have active youth, the guys want to grow and develop, they want to get work experience, but there are no effective mechanisms for this now," Metelev said. "They have to go through countless checks, bureaucracy, and getting approvals, it is simply not profitable for employers."

Children aged 14-to-18 will no longer need the approval of a guardian or a social service agency to get a job in the country, the statement said.

The proposed law change would also "reduce the burden on employers" by no longer requiring them to pay for medical exams for minors who wish to work for them.

Mikhail Kiselyov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Youth Policy of the Lower House of Parliament, said the changes were due to the "interests of adolescents and the demands of the modern labor market."

Translations by Oleksandr Vynogradov