war in Ukraine
Russia: Facilitated Conscription Law in force
Russian President Vladimir Putin has enacted a law making it easier for conscripts to be called up. photo
© Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa
Is Russia facing another wave of mobilization? Putin puts electronic conscription into effect. The restrictions on conscientious objectors are also becoming more drastic.
In Russia, men can be more easily drafted into the military with immediate effect. President Vladimir Putin signed the necessary amendments to the law. The regulations, which are causing great uncertainty among the population, came into force. In the future, notices of convocation no longer have to be handed over in person, but can be sent electronically. Conscripts registered online are not allowed to leave Russia until they are presented to the army.
The parliament in Moscow passed the law in a lightning vote on Wednesday. Some MPs complained that they had not had time to properly read the more than 50 pages of legislation. Many Russians fear that masses of men will again be drafted for the war against Ukraine, which will soon last 14 months. The Kremlin denied such plans.
In the fall, hundreds of thousands of men fled abroad in a sometimes chaotically organized first wave of mobilization. Other Russians avoided conscription because they did not live at their registered address, so that the notice of conscription, which was only valid in letter form, could not be delivered. Russia’s leadership now wants to close this loophole.
Anyone who does not report to the military commissariat within 20 days of being summoned must also expect drastic restrictions in everyday life: Conscientious objectors are no longer allowed to drive a car or buy real estate. Registration as a self-employed person and the granting of loans should no longer be possible.