Putin launches conscription drive

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the decree launching the country’s annual autumn conscription drive. Some 133,000 military-age men are set to be enlisted between October 1 and December 31.

The terms of conscription service in Russia remain unchanged, with new draftees set to serve for a period of 12 months, deputy head of the Russian military’s main enlistment directorate, Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsymlansky told a media briefing on Monday. Service is mandatory in Russia for men aged between 18 and 30. 

Roughly a third of the draftees will be sent to military educational facilities and training units, entering active duty only after obtaining a military occupational specialty, the official stated. The draftees will not be sent to participate in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Tsymlansky noted.

“I would like to emphasize that conscripted military personnel will not be called upon to participate in the tasks of the special military operation in the new regions,” Tsymlansky stated, referring to the formerly Ukrainian Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions.

Recruits will be informed through conventional paper enlistment notices delivered in person or through the mail, Tsymlansky noted. Last year, Russia conceived a system of digital enlistment notices that will be distributed through the government’s digital platform Gosuslugi.

The new system will undergo limited testing this year, with notices distributed through such means only in three regions, the head of the State Duma’s defense committee, Andrey Kartapolov, said last week.

While the system is expected to go fully online in 2025, some of its elements are already operational. For instance, draftees will now be able to lodge complaints and challenge decisions of enlistment offices through Gosuslugi.

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