Russia's war 'hero elite' program has stalled two years in

In February 2024, Russia launched a program called "Time of Heroes," officially intended to support those who took part in Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that participants in the war should be turned into the country's "new elite" — first-class citizens granted privileged status within society and government structures.

Promises without results

However, according to the latest information, two years after the program's launch, this process of building a new elite has nearly come to a halt. The envisioned transformation of war participants into an influential social class has not occurred to the extent the Kremlin promised.

The program's rhetoric was closely tied to attempts to legitimize the war in Ukraine, offering participants social advancement as a reward for taking part in the aggression. Putin's statements about the "time of heroes" were meant as a signal to society that those who suffered in or were long involved in the war would be rewarded with new career and power opportunities.

An unfulfilled promise

The situation shows that real support and integration of war participants into Russian society and governance structures is not happening at the pace or scale originally announced. This creates a contradiction between the Kremlin's official rhetoric honoring war participants and the actual situation, in which the promised "new elite" is not truly being formed.

The case reflects a broader pattern in which Russian authorities' promises of benefits for participation in the war against Ukraine materialize more slowly or on a smaller scale in practice than presented in public rhetoric.