What threatens the law on the "eternal" call

State Duma deputies offer to replenish the army all year round. Raids can become constant

The State Duma introduced a bill making draft measures (medical board, meetings of commissions) year -round. Thus, the authorities want to unload the work of the military enlistment offices.

Although sending to the army, according to the current version of the bill, will remain seasonal (spring and autumn), experts in a conversation with Novo-European warn: raids on conscripts will become constant practice. The Ministry of Defense will be able to use new norms to increase the plan for recruitment in the army, as well as putting pressure on potential draftees as early as possible and to include them to sign a contract.

Where are the amendments and when will they enter into force?

Amendments on year -round draft for military service are intended to be introduced to two federal laws: “On military duty and military service” and “On an alternative civil service”.

The bill has only been submitted to the State Duma so far. The deputies went on the summer holidays, so the considerations in parliament on the merits can only be expected in September. If the amendments are accepted, the initiative will enter into force on the beginning of 2026.

The authors of the initiative were the head of the defense committee of the State Duma Andrei Kartapolov and his deputy Andrei Krasov. Kartapolov is one of the authors of the laws on electronic agendas and the abolition of the deadline for military service. He is also known for his initiatives to tighten mobilization during the war with Ukraine, as well as the punishment for “discrediting” volunteers and fighters of the Wagner PMC.

Will the authorities be able to send conscripts to the service of at any time all year round?

No (at least according to the current version of the bill).

The call consists of several stages:

• Call to the military registration and enlistment office and the passage of the medical commission . This can take a lot of time; If there are directions for additional examinations, then months;

• Call to the draft commission . As a rule, within one day;

• The agenda for a specific date in case the draft commission decided to call. On a certain day, the conscript should appear at the military registration and enlistment office; Then he will be taken to the assembly point, where he will receive the status of a soldier.

Now all these events should take place only within the terms. The bill share the concepts of “call for military service” and “sending citizens to the places of military service.” It is precisely the call that is becoming “eternal”: that is, the authorities will be able to oblige conscripts to appear for medical examination, psychological selection and meetings of draft commissions at any time .

Send to the troops of the draftees, as before, they will only be twice a year: from April 1 to July 15 (spring call) and from October 1 to December 31 (autumn appeal) on the basis of decrees of Vladimir Putin.

Why is the "eternal" call to the Russian authorities?

The deputies themselves in the explanatory note note that new norms will evenly distribute the load on the draft points and "improve the quality of citizens' calls for military service." That is, according to the official version, the Russian authorities want to unload the work of the military enlistment offices.

- We simultaneously provide more opportunities for the conscripts themselves, so that they solve their tasks and issues, and streamline the work of military commissariats. They will not have this navigation and Avaralov every six months. They will calmly work throughout the year, ” said the author of the bill, deputy Kartapolov, RBC.

However, the director of the human rights group “Citizen. Army. Right "Sergei Krivenko in the commentary of Novo-Europe explains that new norms are also needed to fulfill the draft plan, which, in his opinion," may well be increased "in 2026. In addition, Russian military registration and enlistment office has long violated the law and conduct a medical examination all year round, Krivenko notes. This was warned in the “Movement of Conscious Refusers”, this was also noted by a lawyer of the supporting deserters of the Ornection Ev Artyom Clig in an interview with rain. Profile lawyers really reported regular control medical examinations at the collection point of Moscow after July 15, that is, after the spring call.

As the New Evrope was told in the “Movement of Conscious Refusers”, the authorities explained the year-round medical examination with concern for the draftees: supposedly there is no need to stand in a huge queue during the days of official call. Now they want to legalize this practice.

“There are fears that at the stage of consideration of the bill can generally cancel the terms of call, and all draft measures - including sending to the service - carry out Krivenko fearing.

What does this mean for a conscript?

After the adoption of the bill, they will be able to grab and call the conscript at one day, Krivenko believes. After the introduction of the electronic registry of the summons, the Russian will also be able to block departure from the country after the presentation of the agenda - at any time within a year.

- We are all used to the fact that in the fall and spring we must be careful and vigilant, because you can fall under the raid. The main danger is that these raids will be able to become year-round, like all draft events, ”the representative of“ Go Forest ”, Ivan Chuvilyaev, confirmed in a conversation with the“ New Evrop ”.

How the authorities are going to technically implement a year -round appeal, it is incomprehensible. Chuvilyaev gives an example: if a person is recognized as suitable for the army, say, in December, it is unclear what will happen next to him: to wait for the spring call to military commissariats is simply unprofitable, the representative of “go forest” notes.

- It looks very strange and doubtful. Perhaps such rules are needed in order to continue to make complex fraud and, for example, in order to make a person sign a contract immediately after passing the medical board and meeting of the draft commission, the expert fears.

How to protect yourself?

From the very beginning of the full -scale war of Russia with Ukraine, human rights activists recommended avoiding any contacts with the Russian military registration and enlistment offices. However, in a conversation with Novo-Europe, Sergei Krivenko claims that it is more impossible to guarantee that the Russian will not fall to the front if he is guided exclusively by this strategy without taking into account personal circumstances. They agree with him in “go“ forest ”, and in the“ movement of conscious refusers ”.

“We must act comprehensively, in advance, before the call, choosing a strategy for actions that will help to protect you,” Krivenko says.

Human rights activists recommend: you should not appear in the military registration and enlistment office until the method of protection from the call is thought out . In the same way, you should not follow the agenda if there is no intention to serve, and the risk of sending to the army is preserved, they said in a “call for conscience”.

Now, Krivenko explains, the military enlistment offices have the opportunity to attract operational employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the search for conscripts. Police have the right to use all the tools that are usually used to catch criminals, for example, records from surveillance cameras and telephone billing data.

Krivenko also draws attention to the practice of point hunting for specific conscripts. Such a strategy for the military enlistment offices, according to him, spread during the last calls - in parallel with already familiar raids. Under these conditions, a conscript can be found and sent to the army one day, the expert claims.

Therefore, according to human rights activists, it is necessary:

• to carry with you all documents confirming that you have the right to delay (in particular, from July 22 to August 6, 2025, you can apply for an IT sales from urgent service in an autumn call. Look in advance what delay you have the right to);

• draw up a power of attorney on loved ones;

• draw up documents on the disease, if any;

• keep an application for alternative civil service (AGS, more on that below);

• go to permanent study or work abroad, if possible;

• be constantly in touch with loved ones.

Will the new rules affect all conscripts?

The call, as before, will touch all men in Russia from 18 to 30 years old. But the law prescribes exceptions:

1. For citizens living in the Far North areas, the call is maintained twice a year (from May 1 to July 15 or from November 1 to December 31;

2. For residents of rural areas, “directly employed in sowing and harvesting work”, there will be only an autumn appeal (from October 15 to December 31);

3. For teachers, only a spring call will be valid (from May 1 to July 15);

The decision to send to military service, as now, will be valid for a year.

Will it be possible to get to an alternative civil service?

Yes. The new law states that citizens have the right to submit applications to the military registration and enlistment office on the replacement of military service for an alternative call. It must be brought in advance in the next time:

• Until April 1 - for citizens who are sent to the service in the autumn draft;

• Until October 1 - for citizens who are sent to the service in the spring call.

What organizations and defenders can you seek help?

In the case of an illegal call, you can contact the projects:

• "Go forest"

• "Movement of conscious refuser"

• "School of the Distributor"

• "Call to conscience"