Military commissions in Russia are calling up reservists en masse "to clarify data" and the pressure on men to enlist in the army is growing. Those who do not appear are threatened with sanctions. Is a new mobilization wave being prepared?
Military commissions in Russia are sending letters en masse to men of military age and reservists demanding that they report "for an order" or "to clarify data". The growing activity is also indirectly evidenced by the increase in the number of searches by Russians on Google and "Yandex". Users are increasingly looking for information about mobilization regulations - this is an appendix to the military ticket, which determines which specific military unit the serviceman is attached to in the event of war or mobilization.
Only specifying data?
This document obliges those subject to mobilization to independently go to the assembly point without an additional summons. Failure to appear “to specify data“ may result in criminal restrictions: a ban on leaving the country, driving a car, registering a company, obtaining loans, as well as registering transport and real estate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concerns about reports of increased mobilization measures in Russia. According to him, the Kremlin is trying to compensate for the high losses of the Russian army in Ukraine and increase the “occupation contingent“. Forced mobilization in Russia has not been formally carried out since November 2022, but human rights activists say that recruitment of personnel continues. It is precisely this that can cover those who decide to appear in person at the military commission. The recommendation of human rights activists is that communication with the military commission should be carried out only remotely.
What do the "invitations" of the military commissions look like?
As a rule, messages from the military commissions arrive electronically. A person who received such an invitation from the military commission to clarify data told the DW that he had not served in the army and had a category "B", i.e. he was limitedly fit for military service and could be called up to the army only upon full mobilization.
The man constantly received insistent emails to request an extract from the Military Conscription Register. "So far, I have not been subject to any restrictions, even though it has been two months. But I don't know what to do in this situation," he says. In a number of cases, people also receive phone calls warning of possible restrictions if they do not report.
A reservist from Tatarstan was invited to report "for an order," and his employer was asked to contact the military commission. Another received a message by phone that he was required to receive a mobilization order, although he had informed the military commission that he could not report because he was on sick leave. A third had a sick leave for the date of reporting, but the military commission insisted on his personal presence. They threatened him by phone that otherwise they would not "close the call-up", and – that they will send him a new one after the sick leave expires.
Mass sending of notifications from military commissions
The activation of military commissions is connected with the launch of the Unified Register of Military Service, which began operating in the summer of 2025, says lawyer Artyom Kliga. Human rights activists assume that the register contains data on up to 25 million people. Now the military commissions are trying to unite this data into a single database.
"The military commission either specifies the data or applies the mobilization order, which actually means nothing concrete from a legal point of view", says Kliga. According to him, ignoring the draft notices usually does not lead to serious consequences. "Cases are not filed, only fines can be imposed for failure to appear." The lawyer does not expect mass persecution of those who did not appear.
The human rights project "Catch the Forest", designed to help Russians avoid mobilization, told the State Duma that the notifications are sent indiscriminately to everyone. After the person appears at the military commission, he can be persuaded to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense, pressured and even detained by force. Therefore, as the press secretary of the project Ivan Chuvilyaev says, it is best not to ignore the written messages completely, but to send a trusted representative to the commission if possible. "To bring the necessary documents - this slows everything down." According to Chuvilyaev, mobilization orders are often massively pasted into the military ticket - "simply to intimidate" and to encourage the person to sign a contract.
How does the recruitment process work?
Lawyer Kliga explains that the mobilization procedure in Russia is formally enshrined in law: there are categories of people who are subject to mobilization, there are options for deferment, and the decisions of the mobilization commissions can be challenged.
According to Kliga, the threat is not mobilization itself, but the ongoing recruitment of servicemen for the war. According to him, pressure is exerted on both conscripts and students who cannot be mobilized by law. Reservists are called up to military commissions, they try to send them to military exercises, where they are persuaded to sign contracts, they are offered to enroll in the mobilization reserve. In addition, foreigners are also tricked into signing contracts.