Following its large-scale war against Ukraine, Russia has significantly tightened its mandatory conscription system. Facial recognition cameras, year-round recruitment, and online draft notifications have made it even harder for men who want to avoid military service to escape.
Lawyers and human rights defenders say the changes are not only in the call-up system but also in how the conscription process operates. According to them, young men taken to military offices are directed to sign open-ended contracts that could send them to combat duty shortly after.
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 conscription.
One evening, due to heavy traffic, the young man took the metro to visit his mother and was stopped by two police officers 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 mandatory service.
Other conscripts sharing similar experiences requested their identities be kept confidential for security reasons. These accounts highlight how the mandatory conscription system has become more closed and oppressive since the war began.
Age Limit Raised, Draft System Expanded
Artyom Klyga, a lawyer representing those opposing military service, said that before 2022, there were many legal ways to avoid conscription without resorting to illegal methods. These included exemptions for health reasons, opting for alternative civilian service, or staying in education.
According to Klyga, after the war, Russia extended conscription calls throughout the year, raised the upper age limit from 27 to 30, narrowed health exemptions, and implemented an online draft system. This significantly reduced ways to avoid military service.
Timofey Vaskin, who works on an educational platform explaining ways to avoid conscription, said the demand to escape service has sharply increased. Vaskin described how those called up find themselves in a new, stricter system.
Pressure to Sign Contracts Draws Attention
Human rights defenders say the most critical phase begins in the first days after conscripts enter their units. 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 conscripts to contact their families, lawyers, or journalists. Vaskin added that contracts are often presented as normal jobs, promising daytime shifts, higher pay, and avoidance of 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 permanent obligation within the military system.
Klyga described the Russian authorities' success in convincing many that mandatory service lasts only one year as a major achievement. As a result, conscripts are becoming increasingly visible on the battlefield.
Numbers and Deployment Time 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 number represents a 6% decrease compared to 2024.
During the same period, about 295,000 people were conscripted. 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 said he was 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, needed, and could be assigned a good position. 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 conscription 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 said even contract soldiers there sought ways out and many did not want to serve. He also recalled some commanders telling him, "Don't sign, don't ruin your life."
