Russian Military Service Law

Federal Law on Military Duty and Military Service

The Federal Law on Military Duty and Military Service (Federalny Zakon o Voinskoy Obyazannosti i Voennoy Sluzhbe, No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998, as amended) is the foundational statute governing military personnel obligations in the Russian Federation. The Law establishes the legal basis for: military registration (voinsky uchyot); conscription (prizyv na voennuyu sluzhbu); voluntary contract service (kontraktnaya sluzhba); alternative civilian service (alternativnaya grazhdanskaya sluzhba); the reserve (zapas); military training (voennye sbory); and military service exemptions and deferments. The Law applies to all male citizens of the Russian Federation aged 18 to 60, with specific obligations varying by age category.

The Law has been significantly amended since 2022, following the commencement of the conflict with Ukraine. Key amendments include: (1) raising the maximum conscription age from 27 to 30 years (effective 1 January 2024); (2) introduction of electronic summons (elektronnye povestki) effective from the date of placement in the Unified Register of Military Service (Ediny Reestr Voinskogo Uchyota); (3) increased criminal penalties for evasion of military service; and (4) simplification of contract service procedures, including reduced minimum contract periods.

Conscription (Prizyv)

Military conscription applies to male citizens aged 18 to 30 (as of 2024, previously 18 to 27). The conscription campaign is conducted twice annually: the spring campaign (vesenny prizyv) runs from 1 April to 15 July, and the autumn campaign (osenniy prizyv) runs from 1 October to 31 December. The Government annually approves a decree on conscription numbers; approximately 147,000 conscripts were called up in the spring 2025 campaign, and 133,000 in autumn 2025. The duration of conscript service is 12 months.

The conscription procedure, governed by Articles 22–29 of 53-FZ, begins with the issuance of a summons (povestka) by the military commissariat (voenkomat). The summons may be served in person, by registered mail with return receipt, or electronically through the Gosuslugi portal. The conscript must attend a medical examination (meditsinskoe osvidetelstvovanie) conducted by a military medical commission (voenno-vrachebnaya komissiya), which assigns a fitness category: A (fit for service), B (fit with minor limitations), V (limited fitness — exempt in peacetime), G (temporarily unfit — deferment), or D (unfit for service — exemption). The conscript then appears before a draft board (prizyvnaya komissiya) which decides on induction and assignment to a military unit.

Deferments and Exemptions

The Law provides for deferments (otsrochki) and exemptions (osvobozhdeniya) from conscription on specific grounds. Deferments are available for: (1) higher education students enrolled in full-time state-accredited programmes (for the duration of study, up to the age limit); (2) individuals with certain medical conditions (fitness category G); (3) fathers of two or more children; (4) individuals caring for disabled relatives or single parents; (5) citizens employed in designated professions (IT workers at accredited organisations, approved annually); and (6) postgraduate students engaged in full-time research.

Exemptions are available for: (1) fitness category D (unfit for military service); (2) completion of alternative civilian service; (3) previous completion of military service or alternative service in a foreign state; (4) holding a PhD or doctoral degree; (5) being a son or brother of a serviceman who died in the line of duty; and (6) certain categories of law enforcement and civil service personnel. The 2022 amendments restricted the deferment for IT workers by requiring that the employer maintain accreditation with the Ministry of Digital Development and that the employee have a higher education degree in a relevant field.

Alternative Civilian Service

The Federal Law on Alternative Civilian Service (No. 113-FZ of 25 July 2002) provides the legal basis for conscientious objection to military service. Citizens whose religious, philosophical, or moral beliefs conflict with military service, or who belong to indigenous minority groups (korennye malochislennye narody) engaged in traditional economic activities, may apply for alternative civilian service (alternativnaya grazhdanskaya sluzhba, AGS). The application must be submitted to the military commissariat at least six months before the start of the conscription campaign, with supporting documents demonstrating the sincerity of the belief objection.

The duration of alternative service is 18 months (or 21 months for civilian personnel in military organisations). Placement is determined by the Federal Service for Labour and Employment (Rostrud) in coordination with regional authorities, with assignments typically in social services, healthcare facilities, or public infrastructure maintenance, often in locations far from the applicant’s place of residence. Approximately 1,000 applications for AGS are submitted annually, with a success rate of roughly 50%.

Contract Service

Contract military service (voennaya sluzhba po kontraktu) is governed by Section V of 53-FZ (Articles 32–39). Contract service is open to: (1) male citizens aged 18 to 60; (2) female citizens aged 18 to 45 (for designated military specialities); (3) foreign citizens aged 18 to 45 (since 2014 amendments, in accordance with Article 34.1); and (4) conscripts who have completed at least three months of conscript service. The contract is concluded for an initial period of two or three years (five years for officers), renewable for subsequent periods of one to ten years.

The 2022 amendments introduced simplified contract procedures, including: (1) reduction of the maximum contract age to 50 (for foreign citizens); (2) elimination of the requirement for a medical board review for contract extensions; (3) introduction of one-year short-term contracts for specific operations; and (4) financial incentives including one-time signing bonuses equivalent to 195,000 RUB. Contract service personnel receive higher pay than conscripts, housing allowances, and early pension eligibility (after 20 years of service).

Mobilisation Law and 2022 Amendments

The Federal Law on Mobilisation Preparation and Mobilisation in the Russian Federation (No. 31-FZ of 26 February 1997) was significantly amended in September–October 2022 following the partial mobilisation (chastichnaya mobilizatsiya) announced on 21 September 2022. The mobilisation of approximately 300,000 reservists between September and November 2022 exposed legal gaps in the mobilisation framework, leading to amendments including: (1) introduction of electronic summon systems for mobilisation; (2) establishment of the Unified Register of Military Service to track mobilisation resources; (3) specification of categories of citizens entitled to deferment from mobilisation (including employees of defence industry enterprises, IT workers, and parents of multiple children); and (4) increased criminal liability for evading mobilisation under Article 328 of the Criminal Code (UK RF).

The 2023 amendments to 53-FZ raised the maximum age for reservists from 50 to 55 years (for privates and sergeants), 55 to 60 years (for junior officers), and 55 to 65 years (for senior officers). The criminal penalty for evasion of conscription (Article 328 UK RF) was increased to a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, and a new offence of evading mobilisation was introduced under Article 337 UK RF (desertion), with penalties of up to 15 years. The amendments have been challenged before the Constitutional Court, which has upheld their constitutionality, finding that mobilisation falls within the state’s constitutional duty to defend the country.