He assured, fell, and did push-ups: military commanders will be allowed to bless housing deals.

The Russian government has approved amendments to the Family Code that partially grant military unit commanders notary functions.

According to the bill, if a service member is serving in a remote or inaccessible area where notaries are not available, written consent for a transaction involving marital property will be given directly on the spot. A document signed and sealed by the commander or head of the military academy will be legally binding.

The changes were prompted by a trial in the Constitutional Court. The military Extreme North I attempted to obtain mortgage documents with a consent form certified by the unit commander. However, the bank refused to accept such documents and demanded a standard notarized power of attorney.

The government decided not to limit itself to military mortgages and went further. The amendments unify the rules for all transactions involving marital property subject to state registration.

The bill will now be sent to the State Duma for consideration.  "Black realtors... Black widows... And now... what could possibly go wrong?", "They've opened Pandora's box. Now the courts will be overwhelmed," "This is where the commanders will make their money," Russians predict on social networks.