Russia plans to draft 120,000 troops this fall

New regulations target draft dodgers

Analysts warn of possible final offensive push

Russian President Vladimir Putin [Getty Images]
Russian President Vladimir Putin [Getty Images]

Russia has introduced new regulations requiring men between the ages of 18 and 30 to submit military service documents before completing real estate transactions — a measure aimed at curbing draft evasion. Some analysts say Vladimir Putin is laying the groundwork for a large-scale mobilization in the second half of the year.

The Sunday Times reported Saturday (local time) that Russia recently added the requirement as part of its efforts to suppress draft dodging. According to a letter from the Federal Notary Chamber to regional notary associations, obtained by the newspaper, men of draft age must now submit military service documents before taking out a mortgage, buying or selling property, or registering as a business owner.

The letter, signed by Konstantin Korsik, deputy head of the Federal Notary Chamber, states that "temporary measures may be applied to citizens" to "ensure they appear before military authorities when a summons is issued."

The letter also cites Article 22 of the military service law, which stipulates that male citizens between 18 and 30 who are registered for military service — or who are required to register but have not done so and are not in the reserves — are subject to conscription.

The Sunday Times described the measures as effectively barring draft evaders from participating in public life and economic activity.

The newspaper also said the moves could be laying the groundwork for a large-scale military mobilization.

Citing Russian media reports, the paper described cases in which notaries refused to certify powers of attorney for men of draft age, and cases in which notaries required men to prove they had not been issued a summons before granting such documents.

Because a power of attorney allows another person to manage one's assets after the holder leaves Russia, the measures appear designed to make it harder for men to flee the country to avoid military service.

Russian law requires men between 18 and 30 to register with military authorities and remain available for combat mobilization when needed.

Putin has been broadening the scope of conscription and tightening restrictions on selling assets or leaving the country to avoid service since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Sunday Times said Putin has so far avoided large-scale mobilization out of concern over a backlash from the urban middle class, but may now seek to expand the draft following the landslide victory of the ruling United Russia party, which won 349 of the 450 seats in the State Duma in last month's elections.

Sergei Gulyayev, a retired lieutenant colonel who served in the Soviet and Russian armies and is an opposition figure living abroad, said the letter "shows that the state is in desperate need of new recruits," adding that "the authorities are restricting people's lives to prevent them from leaving and to force them to register for military service."

Russia has been expanding recruitment to replenish mounting casualties. While the country has historically drafted around 100,000 new conscripts twice a year, it plans to call up around 120,000 in this fall's draft alone.

Azeem Ibrahim, a research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College, said recruitment "has so far been confined to the working-class rural population and ethnic minorities to insulate the middle class from the effects of the war." He added that if Russia "starts recruiting from the wealthy urban population, it suggests they are preparing for a final offensive."


carrier@heraldcorp.com