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Permanent Mobilization: Russia Turns Military Draft Into Year-Round Operation

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Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk
Cyril Barabaltchouk
News Writer
Permanent Mobilization: Russia Turns Military Draft Into Year-Round Operation
Military uniforms and equipment distribute to those recruited as part of the mobilization in Rostov, Russia. (Source: Getty Images)

Russia’s parliament has passed a law that turns the military draft into a year-round process, removing the traditional spring and fall enlistment seasons, The Moscow Times reported on October 26.

The reform, backed by 405 lawmakers in its final reading, will take effect in 2026 and formalizes what observers see as another step toward a permanent mobilization system amid the war in Ukraine.

Under the new rules, conscription-related procedures—medical exams, psychological tests, and draft board meetings—will now take place continuously from January through December.

However, new recruits will still be deployed to military units twice a year—between April and mid-July, and again from October to December—by presidential decree, according to The Moscow Times.

The law also tightens compliance: those summoned via Russia’s digital draft registry will have 30 days to report to enlistment offices, while anyone losing a deferment must appear within two weeks of the next call-up period.

Draft boards will be allowed to grant deferments or exemptions remotely, without the conscript’s presence.

Applications for alternative civilian service will now face stricter deadlines, requiring submission months in advance of deployment, The Moscow Times wrote.

The bill’s authors, Defense Committee Chairman Andrei Kartapolov and his deputy Andrei Krasov, argue it will “streamline draft logistics” and “improve the quality” of recruitment.

Rights groups, however, warn that the reform effectively institutionalizes permanent mobilization, giving authorities legal grounds for continuous raids, summons deliveries, and pressure on potential draftees throughout the year.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia’s military losses in 2025 nearly equal the number of troops it mobilized that year, he told in an interview with Axios.

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