Information on military service, conscription, and mobilization
The following publications by EUAA, the Danish Immigration Service and the Swedish Migration Agency provide background information:
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Report on punishment of objection to military service
Landinformation: Ryssland. Bestraffning vid värnpliktsvägran (Special or Analytical Report, Swedish)
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Report on a new system for delivering summonses for military service
Landinformation: Ryssland. Nytt system för delgivning av militära kallelser m.m. (Special or Analytical Report, Swedish)
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Query response on the Russian Federation: Political opposition and military service (1 November 2022 to 16 February 2023)
Russian Federation; Major developments in the Russian Federation in relation to political opposition and military service [Q37-2023] (Response, English)
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Report on military service (overview of Russian armed forces; contract military service; reserve; scope of partial military mobilisation; legal framework of the mobilisation order; implementation; Russian military forces in Ukraine; conscription and military recruitment in Chechnya; draft evasion, desertion and violation of order; violations of humanitarian and international human rights law by Russian military forces in Ukraine)
The Russian Federation – Military service (Special or Analytical Report, English)
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Report on developments concerning military service since July 2022 (new legislation; partial military mobilisation; conscription; contract soldiers; recruitment to private military companies; draft evaders; conscientious objectors; deserters; methods of recruitment)
Russia; An update on military service since July 2022 (Special or Analytical Report, English)
For earlier developments, see our previous information collection on the partial military mobilization (last update in March 2023).
The most recent documents on the issue
These are the most recent documents from a search for terms related to the topics: (You can find more, and customise your search under this search link.)
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Article on systematic, violent repression of dissent and influence by Russian authorities
Belarus 2020–2025: Domestic Repression and Russian Influence; Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 22 Issue: 114 (Special or Analytical Report, English)
- The country experienced the largest wave of protest mobilization in its history, and riot police detained almost 7,000 protesters in the first four days of protests alone (Human Rights Watch [https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/13/belarus-unprecedented-crackdown], January 13, 2021).
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4 defendants accused of involvement in 2023 terrorist attack plead guilty on the first day of their trial; the defendants, all nationals of Tajikistan, were captured a day after the attack and showed signs of having been beaten; the judges granted the prosecution's request to hold the trial behind closed doors
Main Suspects In 2024 Moscow Terrorist Attack Plead Guilty On First Day Of Trial (Media Report, English)
- The Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K), known to recruit mainly among Central Asians, claimed responsibility for the attack. The United States and France said at the time that Islamic State was "solely responsible" for the attack.
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Article on forced recruitment of prisoners, conscripts, and ethnic minorities from remote regions
Inside Russia's Shadow Battalions: Coercion, Violence, And Ethnic Targeting (Media Report, English)
- Article on forced recruitment of prisoners, conscripts, and ethnic minorities from remote regions
- According to testimonies collected by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, male inmates across prisons in the Volga region, including Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, as well as parts of Siberia, describe routine beatings, psychological torture, and threats aimed at forcing them into military service. […] Romanova said that part of the scheme sees police officers paid bonuses for each recruit. In 2023, it was 10,000 rubles. Now it's 100,000 rubles ($1,125). "For context, the average monthly salary for a provincial police officer is about 40,000 rubles," she said, "So you can imagine the pressure." […] After arriving at the 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, military unit 69647, in the city of Kyakhta, they said their platoon commander began threatening conscripts with deployment to the front -- describing a destroyed transport full of recruits and claiming a 30 percent casualty rate in the Kursk region -- implying they were unlikely to survive unless they signed military contracts. […] During Ukraine's counteroffensive into Kursk in August 2024, conscripts, many aged 18 to 20, suffered heavy casualties. Journalists identified over 100 conscripts killed, captured, or listed as missing. […] Others, like 10 soldiers who rioted in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk in November, resisted deployment and were immediately branded deserters. == Ethnic Targeting: First In Line == Multiple reports confirm that ethnic minorities are among the first to be coerced.
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Article on secret paramilitary training camps established by the Russian authorities in the Balkans to train Moldovan citizens in destabilization tactics
Balkan Training Camps Reflect Moscow's Expanding Definition of War; Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 22 Issue: 113 (Special or Analytical Report, English)
- russia-determined-to-take-over-moldova-or-break-it-part-two/] ,September 26 [https://jamestown.org/program/moscow-fears-moldova-will-follow-ukraine-and-ban-russian-orthodox-church/] ,November 6 [https://jamestown.org/program/moldova-narrowly-avoids-losing-presidency-to-russian-trojan-horse/] , 2024, July9 [https://jamestown.org/program/moscow-seeks-to-retain-influence-over-moldova/], 22 [https://jamestown.org/program/russian-intelligence-recruits-refugees-and-migrants-in-nato-countries-for-espionage
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Serious crime reaches a 15-year high, as war veterans, many of them ex-convicts, return from the front
Serious Crime Hits 15-Year High in Russia After Return of Ex-Convicts From Ukraine; Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 22 Issue: 113 (Special or Analytical Report, English)
- * A return of “Afghan syndrome” and the inability to utilize specialized combat skills after military service have pushed many veterans to resort to rampant substance abuse and violence against family members, friends, and fellow citizens. […] They were promised a presidential pardon after six months, even those who committed serious and violent crimes, and a salary of 100,00 rubles (about $1,870) a month (see EDM, August 18, 2022 [https://jamestown.org/program/wagner-pmc-recruits-russian-criminals-and-convicts-for-war-in-ukraine/] , November 8, 2023 [https://jamestown.org/program/russia-continues-to-forcibly-recruit-prisoners-and-migrant-workers-for-war-in-ukraine-part-two […] /] ; The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/20/russia-recruits-inmates-ukraine-war-wagner-prigozhin] , September 20, 2022). […] Russian analysts see similar symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to those of the “Afgantsy” as contributing factors in the recidivism of veterans of the war against Ukraine, which includes rampant alcohol abuse, their inability to earn an honest living after military service, and resorting to violence. […] Another issue contributing to rising crime rates is that veterans acquire specialized combat skills that are not formally utilized by the state after military service but are of great value in the criminal world (Cherta [https://cherta.media/story/nasilie-frontoviki-i-zeki/], May 20, 2024).
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