The first monthly payments approved under Russian laws have been transferred to residents in the new regions by the Social Fund of Russia, the SFR said in a report on its website.    “Allowances have been approved for more than 12,000 residents in the first few weeks of the operation of the laws on the integration of the new regions in the Russian welfare system,” the report said.   The recipients are people with disabilities, war veterans, their families and some other groups of citizens eligible to state support measures. The sum of benefits paid in the new regions reached 18 million rubles, the SFR said adding that it had gathered data on a majority of recipients to proactively grant benefits.  The only thing required of the recipient was their formal consent.   To apply for monthly benefits, residents of the new regions have to confirm their permanent residence in the Lugansk People’s Republic/Donetsk People’s Republic or Kherson or Zaporozhye region as of March 1, 2023 or September 30, 2022.   Benefits are also paid to people who resided permanently in the DPR or LPR in the period from May 11, 2014 through September 29, 2022, and in the Kherson or Zaporozhye region in the period from February 24 through September 29, 2022 but moved to other Russian regions within this timeframe.   All monthly payment recipients have the right to a package of social services such as free medicines, health resort therapy and fare-free travel by suburban trains. They can choose between full monthly payment or partial allowance with social services.   Residents of the new regions will be receiving the cash equivalent of social services within monthly payment until the end of this year. In 2024, they will have to choose between the cash equivalent or social services. Applications for the services have to be submitted to the Social Fund by October 1, 2023.   Social support measures can be requested at SFR regional offices or the Multifunctional Public Services Center.  *** On February 17, President Vladimir Putin signed a number of documents on the integration of the new regions in Russian legal environment which addressed social insurance, pensions, medical services, medicines and benefits.   The Lugansk People’s Republic, Donetsk People’s Republic and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referenda.*i*v