Autumn conscription 2025: how it will happen, how long it will last and how it differs from previous ones

Transition to electronic agendas and a new sick schedule

In Russia, the next autumn conscription into the army started on October 1. It will last three months - from October 1 to December 31. For residents of the Far North and equivalent territories - from November 1 to December 31. Sending recruits to the troops from assembly points will begin on October 15. The service life has not changed - it is 12 months.

According to the order signed by Vladimir Putin, they plan to conscript 135 thousand people - this is a record-breaking fall conscription since 2016.

But it’s not just scale that distinguishes the 2025 campaign. It will be the first with an electronic summons system operating throughout the country. And, probably, the last one, limited in terms of three months: already next year, a year-round conscription system may be launched in the country.

“Vorstka” figured out the features of the autumn conscription of 2025.

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Autumn call 2025: electronic summons will become the main method of notification

The electronic summons system has been developed since 2023, but this call should be launched for the first time throughout the country and not in test mode. Subpoenas will be sent to your personal account at State Services. An electronic summons is considered served 7 days after it is sent to the personal account - it does not matter whether the conscript opened it or not.

Paper subpoenas also retain legal force. However, in Moscow, as well as the Mari El Republic, Ryazan and Sakhalin regions (that is, in those regions where the Unified Military Registration Register was previously tested), summonses will only be received in electronic form .

After the summons is issued, the conscript cannot leave the territory of Russia. Such restrictions have already begun to be introduced automatically this year . Failure to appear at the military registration and enlistment office without a valid reason will result in a fine of 30 thousand rubles. Anyone who fails to appear within 20 days after the call will be prohibited from driving a car, applying for loans, entering into real estate transactions, or registering an individual entrepreneur. His social benefits payments will be frozen.

Autumn conscription 2025: Unified register of military registration

The entire campaign is carried out using the state system of the Unified Military Registry (URVU), where the data of all those liable for military service must be collected. The system should allow for the provision of some types of deferments without personal appearance - if the database contains the necessary information - for example, we are talking about deferments in obtaining education or confirmed health problems.

The register must contain information about the conscript's passport data, his address of residence and stay, information about his sports rank, data about citizenship and residence permits in other countries, education, criminal records and property. It must be updated by military commissioners, local government officials and employers.

In practice, it is too early to talk about complete digitization of data. Back in 2023, “Vorstka” reported that military registration and enlistment offices do not have time to digitize documents , since there is no one to do this. In October 2025, a correspondent of “Vestka”, in response to a request to the registry, received an automated response that there was no data on his military registration in the registry (although his passport data was already there).

Although all information in the registry should be updated automatically, military registration and enlistment offices continued to send summonses to potential conscripts in the fall of 2025 to clarify the data. Such a summons is not a summons; there is no criminal liability for ignoring it. However, failure to appear can be punishable by a fine of up to 30 thousand rubles, and even with such a summons, the recipient may not be released from the country until he appears before the military commissar. A summons for clarification of data, like a conscription letter, can be delivered through the register of summonses, sent through the employer or by registered mail. In 2025, such summonses, including in paper form, are often received due to the digitalization of conscription.

Autumn conscription 2025: the commission’s decision is now valid for a year

If the draft commission decided to draft in the fall, but for some reason the person was not sent to the unit, he may be drafted within the next 12 months. That is, the decision of the autumn commission of 2025 will be valid until the autumn of 2026.

Autumn conscription 2025: non-conscription diseases

“Schedule of Diseases” is an official document with a list of more than two thousand diseases that determine suitability for service. The list was changed in 2025. Exemption from conscription as being of limited fitness (category “B”) or complete unfitness (category “D”) is given by:

• Diseases of the musculoskeletal system: scoliosis of the 2nd degree and higher, flat feet of the 3rd degree, arthrosis with severe impairment of joint mobility
• Eye diseases: high myopia, glaucoma, retinal detachment, cataracts
• Cardiovascular pathologies: hypertension of the 2nd degree and higher, heart defects, coronary disease
• Diseases of the digestive system: peptic ulcer, pancreatitis, gallstone disease, hernia
• Mental disorders: severe schizophrenia, severe phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Others: diabetes mellitus, obesity of the 3rd degree or higher, severe stuttering, enuresis

Category “G” (temporarily unfit) is given for diseases that require treatment - for example, after operations. A year later, the conscript undergoes re-examination.

At the same time, the rules that came into force at the end of summer allow conscription into the army even with syphilis with delayed negativity (in other words, resistant to antibiotics), mitral valve prolapse with first-degree regurgitation without heart failure, stage I hypertension, a defect of the skull bones of less than 10 square meters. see, the absence of a spleen - previously, all these medical indications were considered sufficient to assign one of the categories inappropriate for conscription “in peacetime” (Russian authorities at the legislative level do not consider a “special military operation” to be a war) category.

Autumn conscription 2025: what legal deferments exist?

• Study deferments: schoolchildren, full-time college and university students, graduate students and residents are not conscripted into the army until completion of their studies.
• Family deferments: parents of two or more children (or one child if the conscript’s wife is pregnant from the 26th week), disabled children under three years of age, single fathers, conscripts caring for close relatives in need of constant assistance or guardianship are not conscripted.
• Full exemption is received by: holders of an academic degree, conscripts whose fathers or brothers died during service.

How can a conscript avoid ending up in a war in Ukraine?

The Ministry of Defense officially states that conscripts do not participate in the “SVO”. However, conscripts may be sent to border regions, where they may come under fire or be deployed to repel a breakthrough by the Ukrainian military. In addition, many conscripts are pressured into signing professional service contracts.

Lawyers advise:

• Record all stages of conscription - save copies of all documents, record conversations with military personnel, if possible.
• Do not sign documents without reading - it is especially important to check that the conscript does not sign the contract.
• Know your rights - conscripts are not required to sign a contract, this is a voluntary decision.
• Contact human rights activists - in case of pressure or attempts to send you to a combat zone

In the spring, “Verstka” examined the features of conscription together with the “Conscript School”; most of the spring recommendations from human rights activists are also relevant for the autumn conscription.

Photo: Conscripts from Gatchina, Leningrad Region, are sent to a military unit. April 14, 2025. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova

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