Russian Federation - Information related to military service and mobilization

33 documents have been added in the last two weeks.
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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

  • 12 February 2026 | Finnish Immigration Service (Author)

    Russian Federation

    Query response on the Russian Federation: Biometric and non-biometric passports

    Venäjä / Vaatimukset ja menettelyt biometrisen ja ei-biometrisen passin hankkimiseksi; Russia / The requirements and process for issuing biometric and non-biometric passports [KT1294] (Response, Finnish)

    • Rekisteröitynyt käyttäjä voi hakea ulkomaanpassia valtionhallinnon sähköisessä Gosuslugi-portaalissa. Passinhakijan on:[footnoteRef:4] [4: MOSVISA [päiväämätön]. […] Gosuslugi-portaalissa ilmoitettiin jälleen keväällä 2023, että biometrisen ulkomaanpassihakemusten vastaanotto oli keskeytetty 2.2.2023 alkaen, ja hakemuksen jo jättäneitä ohjeistettiin odottamaan viranomaisten ohjeistusta.[footnoteRef:27] Helmikuussa 2023 biometristen ulkomaanpassien toimitushaasteet olivat koko Venäjän laajuisia. […] Gosuslugi-portaalissa ohjeistetaan, että mikäli henkilön ulkomaanpassihakemus hylätään, tulee hakijan tarkistaa palvelussa kohta ”Ulkomaanpassin myöntäminen” (ven. Выдача загранпаспорта; transl. Vydatša zagranpasporta) ja tutustua siellä passin epäämisen johtaneisiin syihin. […] Russia raises the maximum age of conscription as it seeks to replenish Ukraine forces. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/26/russia-conscription-maximum-age-raised-ukraine-war [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/26/russia-conscription-maximum-age-raised-ukraine-war] (käyty 12.2.2026). The Moscow Times 15.1.2026. […] https://www.garant.ru/actual/zagranpasport/ [https://www.garant.ru/actual/zagranpasport/] Госуслуги [Gosuslugi] [päiväämätön]a. Чем различаются загранпаспорта нового и старого образцов. https://www.gosuslugi.ru/help/faq/foreign_passport/3986 [https://www.gosuslugi.ru/help/faq/foreign_passport/3986] (käyty 6.2.2026). [päiväämätön]b. Как получить загранпаспорт за границей.
    fiID 2137026

  • 10 February 2026 | BBC News (Author)

    Kenya, Russian Federation

    Article on the Kenyan government's response to Russia's recruitment of civilians

    Kenya to confront Russia over 'unacceptable' use of its nationals in combat (Media Report, English)

    • Speaking to the BBC, Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called the practice "unacceptable and clandestine", and said Nairobi had shut down illegal recruiters and would urge Moscow to sign a deal banning the conscription of Kenyan soldiers. The Kenyan government estimates that around 200 of its nationals have been recruited to fight for Russia. […] Mudavadi has told the BBC that Kenya's engagement with Russia will focus on curbing illegal recruitment practices, including discussions on visa policy and bilateral labour agreements excluding military conscription. He said the Kenyan authorities had closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans with promises of jobs overseas. […] Ukraine has also previously come in for criticism for trying to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its side. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that anyone fighting for Russia will be treated as an enemy combatant, and that the only safe route out is to surrender and be treated as a prisoner of war.
    enID 2136563

  • 10 February 2026 | RFE/RL – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Author)

    Russian Federation

    Article on Russian officer who shot himself in the thigh to escape the war in Ukraine

    Hailed As A War Hero, A Russian Officer Says He Shot Himself To Flee Ukraine (Media Report, English)

    • On February 5, another Kazakh court ruled against him, stating his desertion from the Russian military was not a political act. Kazakh human rights activist Artur Alkhastov, who is helping Korobov, said he would appeal. "The battle is lost, the war continues," he said. "We have clear and unequivocal evidence that his desertion was not cowardice. It was politically motivated. […] Declared wanted in Russia for desertion, Korobov said he did not wish to reveal the details of his journey to Kazakhstan. While fighting for asylum, he said he had become even more convinced that he made the right choice. "Russia doesn't need victory. It needs war. Everything can be justified by war -- absolutely everything. Permanent war is beneficial [for the authorities].
    enID 2136844

  • 8 February 2026 | RFE/RL – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Author)

    Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan

    Article on Russian recruitment strategies targeting Central Asian women for the war in Ukraine

    How Russia Is Recruiting Central Asian Women For Its War In Ukraine (Media Report, English)

    • The move has been aimed at bolstering troop levels amid heavy casualties and avoiding the need for a new mobilization. Russia's Defense Ministry and the private mercenary company Wagner have scoured prisons for recruits. Among those recruited are believed to be hundreds of women, both Russian citizens and foreigners. […] The Russian authorities tried to recruit Gulbarchin, a woman from Kyrgyzstan who is serving a 12-year prison term in the city of Vladimir, outside Moscow. Gulbarchin, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said prison officials drew up a list of potential recruits for the war, according to a letter she wrote to her family in late 2023. […] Ezgulik, a human rights group based in Uzbekistan, said it has received letters from the relatives of dozens of imprisoned Uzbek women who accuse prison authorities of trying to recruit them for the war in Ukraine. Among them is Umida, a woman whose sister is jailed in Russia.
    enID 2136841

  • 3 February 2026 | RFE/RL – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Author)

    Russian Federation

    Article about frequent violent crimes committed by men returning from the front; many are former prisoners who were released after voluntarily participating in the war in Ukraine and had their previous convictions expunged

    Strangled In Siberia: Deep Inside Russia, The Violent Echoes Of Moscow's War On Ukraine (Media Report, English)

    • . == 'Extremely Frightened' == Putin ordered what he called a "partial mobilization" in September 2022, but the call-up added to the throngs of young Russians leaving the country and the Kremlin, which wants to avoid a repeat, has sought other ways to maintain manpower levels.
    enID 2136694
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