Russian Federation - Information related to military service and mobilization

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Information on military service, conscription, and mobilization

The following publications by EUAA, the Danish Immigration Service and the Swedish Migration Agency provide background information:

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.)

Considered synonyms: combat, combat service, combat services, deserters, deserteur, deserteure, desertions, draft, drafts, einberufung, einberufung, einberufungen, einberufungen, fahnenflucht, heeresdienst, heeresdienst, heeresdienste, heeresdienste, kriegsdienst, kriegsdienst, kriegsdienste, kriegsdienste, military draft, military drafts, military service, military services, militärdienst, militärdienst, militärdienste, militärdienste, präsenzdiener, präsenzdiener, präsenzdienerin, präsenzdienerin, präsenzdienerinnen, präsenzdiener·in, präsenzdiener·in, präsenzdiener·innen, präsenzdienst, präsenzdienst, präsenzdienste, präsenzdienste, rekrut, rekruten, rekruten, rekrutin, rekrutin, rekrutinnen, rekrut·in, rekrut·in, rekrut·innen, services, waffendienst, waffendienst, waffendienste, waffendienste, wehrdienst, wehrdienst, wehrpflicht, wehrpflicht, wehrpflichtige, wehrpflichtige, wehrpflichtiger, wehrpflichtiger, wehrpflichtige·r, wehrpflichtige·r

  • March 2026 | USCIRF – US Commission on International Religious Freedom (Author)

    Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Korea, Democratic People's Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

    Annual report on religious freedom (covering 2025)

    United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2026 Annual Report (Periodical Report, English)

    • The Tatmadaw also continued to forcibly conscript Rohingya men and boys who were stripped of citizenship, often using them as cannon fodder. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE U.S. […] Religious expression deemed critical of the government resulted in state reprisal, as in the case of a pastoral couple detained for five days for mentioning God during the trial of their son for allegedly evading mandatory military service in June. Authorities had indefinitely delayed their trial at the time of this report, and the couple could face eight years in prison. […] The government also persecutes family members of those who seek to evade military service by enforcing severe penalties on them. In March, at the behest of the Eritrean government, the Egyptian government forcibly returned 150 Eritrean refugees and migrants to Eritrea and requested that deportation processes continue, likely affecting many conscientious objectors. […] The Turkmen constitution mandates military service for all men, with no legal alternative available for conscientious objec- tors. In January 2025, the Mary Regional Court heard the appeal of 21-year-old Jehovah’s Witness and conscientious objector Arslan Wepayew, who had been detained since November 2024, reducing his two-year prison sentence to two years of corrective labor. […] Dozens of military-age male Jehovah’s Wit- nesses who reject military service on religious grounds have received travel bans that prevent them from leaving the country, and in July, a court sentenced Jehovah’s Witness Elgiz Ibrahimov to one year in prison for refusing to serve in the military in accordance with his religious beliefs. An appeals court later released him on probation.
    enID 2137510

  • 28 February 2026 | ISW – Institute for the Study of War (Author)

    Russian Federation

    Analysis of military and security-related developments of the day

    Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 28, 2026 (Special or Analytical Report, English)

    • 48] Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces counterattacked near Orestopil, Havrylivka (northeast of Oleksandrivka), Oleksandrohrad, and Novooleksandrivka (both southeast of Oleksandrivka).[49] The spokesperson of a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Oleksandrivka direction reported on February 28 that Russian forces recently rotated in new personnel, primarily consisting of young recruits
    enID 2137529

  • 27 February 2026 | ISW – Institute for the Study of War (Author)

    Russian Federation

    Analysis of military and security-related developments of the day

    Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 27, 2026 (Special or Analytical Report, English)

    • Echo noted that the Russian MoD is promising to students that they will only serve in USF units (a preferable military occupation that faces lower risk to life and limb than infantry) but that at least some of the contracts contain language that would allow the MoD to send the recruits to any Russian military unit, not just a USF unit.[9] Echo reported that the Russian MoD is utilizing a ”carrot […] Russian opposition outlet Meduza reported on February 26 that the Nikolai Lunin Novosibirsk College of Transport Technologies organized a three-day screening of propaganda films about Russians who allegedly “betrayed” Russia because the students had refused to volunteer for military service.[10] The Russian MoD began recruitment efforts targeting underperforming Russian students in December 2025 […] and began expanding this effort in January 2026.[11] The Russian MoD may staff the conventional Russian military with student recruits.
    enID 2137527

  • 27 February 2026 | International Crisis Group (Author)

    Russian Federation

    Article on the diplomatic fallout of the recruitment of men from several African countries by Russian military authorities

    Recruits Duped into Joining Russian War Effort Spark African Outcry (Media Report, English)

    • Recruits Duped into Joining Russian War Effort Spark African Outcry
    • Soon afterward, videos and photos of African recruits surfaced on social media, while press reports revealed that recruitment networks had lured men to Russia with false promises of jobs. According to personal accounts from front-line survivors, Russian consulates across Africa often facilitated visa arrangements.
    enID 2137719

  • 26 February 2026 | ISW – Institute for the Study of War (Author)

    Russian Federation

    Analysis of military and security-related developments of the day

    Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 26, 2026 (Special or Analytical Report, English)

    • service. […] service through this law. […] Russia has conducted raids against migrants with expired permits or who are undocumented and coerced them into military service under threat of criminal charges or deportation.[39] Forcing foreigners to serve in the Russian military as a condition for a residency permit or citizenship is a significant escalation in its recruitment mechanisms. […] * The PRC consulate’s warning is an indicator that the PRC may be concerned that Russia will coerce its citizens living in Russia into military service through this law. * Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area. […] [36] http://www.kremlin dot ru/acts/bank/52569; https://www.rbc dot ru/politics/05/11/2025/690b8e359a7947483435f9f8 [37] https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-decree-russian-citizensip-residence-permit/33621628.html [38] https://www.scmp dot com/news/china/politics/article/3344760/why-china-reminding-its-male-citizens-russia-about-moscows-military-service-law [39] https://understandingwar.org/research
    enID 2137526
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