Russia toughens draft law to bolster war’s lethal frontlines

Russia is introducing laws aimed at closing loopholes used by those wanting to avoid the draft.

Evading the draft has been relatively easy in Russia until now. All those who wanted to avoid military service needed to do was avoid receiving a paper draft notice.

One option was to move without letting the authorities know a current address so that it couldn’t be delivered. This new legislation closes that loophole as the draft notice will be considered served a week after it has been posted online on a government website.

The failure of the Russian government to share conscription data with border-crossing posts had also been an issue during the 2022 “partial” military mobilization. This emergency mobilization drafted 300,000 soldiers to be sent to Ukraine to counteract Russia’s losses on the battlefield.

But Moscow was not able to stop young people who feared being drafted leaving in large numbers. Some sources reported 700,000 people leaving in September 2022 alone. But with the war in Ukraine continuing Moscow intends to stop this exodus from happening again.

What changes?

From November 1, 2024, draft notices will also be collated along with other information that the government holds on its citizens, such as tax details, criminal charges or property, so officials can keep a complete profile of that person and what they do, and track their movements more closely.

The most notable change is, however, how draft notices will be served. They will no longer rely on a paper form being delivered to a physical address. From November these will be filed online and will be considered as delivered even if recipients do not have access to the internet or have not seen the notice.

This legal change is likely to affect the second