Don’t Live to Retire — But Die With a Bonus. What Are Russian Lawmakers Doing?

"Work longer — earn more." Sounds like a motivational slogan, right?
But when a State Duma deputy says: "Delay retirement for ten years and your pension will double," it stops being motivation — and starts sounding like black comedy.

That's exactly what Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the Russian parliament, recently stated. If you work ten extra years after the official retirement age — your monthly pension will increase by over 100%.

"If a person continues working for five years after reaching retirement age, their pension coefficients increase by 36%, and the fixed part — by 45%," Bessarab explained.

Sounds generous… on paper. Now let's look at real life:
the average life expectancy of Russian men is 68.5 years.
Retirement age? 65.

So, essentially, Russian men are being advised to die at work — and maybe get their upgraded pension on the deathbed. Statistically, they won't make it. But the budget will win.

📉 Mathematical Cruelty in Legislation

This scheme is being presented as an "opportunity" under the law.
Just stay at your job longer — and the government will thank you with a slightly bigger pension. Maybe.

Women, on average, live longer — 78.7 years — so they might enjoy their "enhanced" pension for about 8 years. But even with bonuses, the total is still only half of the average Russian salary — around 40,000 rubles per month.

That's the "reward" for working until your hair turns grey and your back gives out.

🧾 "Nobody's Forcing Anyone!"

After public outrage and social media backlash, lawmakers tried to soften the message.

Yaroslav Nilov, head of the State Duma Labor Committee, said:

"There is no pressure here. No one is forcing anyone. It's simply an option provided by the law."

Ah, yes — "option."
Like choosing between sleeping on the floor or on a pile of bricks.

The trick is simple: if you retire at 65 — your pension is minimal. If you want more — keep working. But if you die in the process — well, the system saves money. Win-win!
For them.

👥 Let's Switch Places

What if we flipped the script?

Let deputies live on their own laws.
Give them an average salary, an average pension, a 40-year work requirement — no chauffeurs, no bonuses, no elite clinics.

Let Svetlana Bessarab herself work until 75, then survive on her doubled pension in a rural town.

Then we'll see how quickly the laws start to change.

🔒 And What About Putin?

The president isn't involved in this circus. He's doing his best to keep the country balanced.
But when parliamentarians and bureaucrats start playing with people's lives like it's Monopoly — the system breaks down.

❗Final Thought

The pension reform of the 2010s? A complete failure.
Private pension funds? Unregulated and unsafe.
And now — lawmakers are telling people:
"Want a better life? Don't die too soon."

But here's the question:

If a man starts working at 20, retires at 75, and gets a pension for just two years…
Is that a benefit — or a trap?