Russia Drafts 135,000 in Autumn Call-Up, Largest Since 2016, Says Defense Ministry

Russia has completed its autumn conscription campaign, drafting 135,000 citizens aged 18 to 30 into the armed forces and other formations, according to The Moscow Times on December 29. 

The Russian Defense Ministry said the intake was the largest autumn call-up since 2016, when 152,000 people were conscripted, and it exceeded the 120,000 drafted in autumn 2022, 130,000 in autumn 2023, and 133,000 in autumn 2024. 

Andrei Kartapolov, who heads the State Duma’s defense committee, said that the higher autumn figure followed a shortfall against the spring plan and reflected what he described as a planned expansion of the armed forces, including the formation of new units in the Leningrad military district to cover the border with Finland. 

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The Defense Ministry said the autumn campaign was the first to use the Unified Military Records Register , with notifications sent through the Gosuslugi government services portal, with more than 550,000 citizens received deferments without visiting enlistment offices in person.

The register is part of a digitalization law signed in April 2023 by the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, that brings automatization to sending draft notices, which are treated as delivered seven days after publication in the system, triggering restrictions, including a ban on leaving the country. 

Earlier, it was reported that Russia’s leadership signed a decree ordering an autumn call-up of 135,000 citizens aged 18–30, with officials claiming draftees would serve only inside Russia.

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