Following its large-scale war against Ukraine, Russia has significantly tightened its compulsory military service system. Facial recognition cameras, year-round recruitment, and online summons notifications have made it even harder for men who want to avoid military service to escape.
Lawyers and human rights advocates say the fundamental change is not only in the call-up system but also in how the military service process operates. According to them, young men taken to the military office are quickly directed to sign open-ended contracts that could send them to combat.
Apprehended in the metro and sent to the barracks
A young bank employee living in Moscow was reportedly identified using these methods. Police tracked him using facial recognition cameras employed by military authorities to locate men wanted for service.
One evening, when the young man took the metro to visit his mother due to heavy traffic, two police officers stopped him in the carriage. Detained on the grounds of "avoiding military service," he was sent within three days to a military unit near Moscow and began a one-year compulsory service.
Other conscripts sharing similar experiences requested anonymity for security reasons. These accounts highlight how the compulsory military system has become more closed and oppressive since the war began.
It used to be easier to avoid service
Artyom Klyga, a lawyer representing those opposing military service, said that before 2022, there were many ways to avoid conscription without resorting to illegal means. These included exemptions for health reasons, opting for alternative civilian service, or staying in education.
According to Klyga, after the war, Russia extended the draft throughout the year, raised the upper age limit from 27 to 30, narrowed health exemptions, and implemented an online summons system. This significantly reduced ways to avoid military service.
Timofey Vaskin, who works on an educational platform explaining draft evasion methods, said requests to avoid service have sharply increased. He described how those called up find themselves in a new, stricter system.
Pressure to sign contracts stands out
Human rights defenders say the most critical phase begins in the first days after conscripts enter the unit. At this stage, they are asked to sign contracts with the army, often under intense pressure.
Klyga noted that during this period, it is difficult for soldiers to contact their families, lawyers, or journalists. Vaskin added that contracts are often presented as regular jobs, promising daytime shifts, higher pay, and exemption from routine duties.
Some are offered roles such as drivers or clerks, and sometimes told the contract lasts only one year. However, lawyers say these contracts are actually open-ended and create a lasting obligation within the military system.
Klyga described the Russian authorities' success in convincing many that compulsory service lasts only one year as a major achievement. He believes this has led to conscripts becoming increasingly visible on the battlefield.
Numbers and deployment to the front
According to figures shared by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, last year 422,000 Russian volunteers signed contracts to join the army and fight in Ukraine. This represents a 6% decrease compared to 2024.
During the same period, about 295,000 people were drafted. Klyga said a conscript who signs a contract to fight can be sent to the front within a month.
The bank employee caught in the metro recounted being held for three days without showering or changing clothes. He said he was not directly forced to sign but felt constant pressure.
He was told he was suitable, that people like him were needed, and that he could be assigned a good role. Later, he recalled being directed to sign a contract with promises of salary, comfortable work, and exemption from routine duties.
A DJ from Moscow also said he tried to avoid military service but could not obtain a driver's license or international passport without proper military documents. Eventually, he was persuaded and assigned to the army's medical unit for one year.
The DJ explained that even contracted soldiers there sought ways out and many did not want to serve. He also shared that some commanders told him, "Don't sign, don't ruin your life."
