Russia Starts Issuing Draft Notices at Airports to New Citizens and Returning Expats

Russian authorities have begun issuing military draft summonses to arriving citizens—particularly naturalized ones—at major airports across the country, prompting concerns about ethnic profiling and legal ambiguity.

On November 19, the Russian Interior Ministry announced the opening of twelve new migration control points at airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Kazan, Novosibirsk, and other key cities. Officially, the purpose of these stations is to identify foreign nationals violating immigration laws. But evidence suggests a broader, more controversial use.

Just a day later, Russian state-run Vesti Ural aired a report from Yekaterinburg’s Koltsovo Airport, showing Russian citizens—not foreigners—being intercepted upon arrival and handed draft notices.

“The moment this man landed in the Urals, he was told he couldn’t simply fly back out,” the report explained. “He may have arrived from abroad, but on paper he’s a Russian citizen—and that means mandatory military registration, even if he has a return ticket for tomorrow.”

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According to the report, those who haven’t yet formalized their military status are being served notices on the spot. Failing to comply can result in fines of up to 30,000 rubles (about $330 USD).

The broadcast sparked immediate backlash online, as pro-government media claimed the situation was misrepresented. They argued that officials weren’t physically stationed “at the aircraft stairway,” but rather inside official migration checkpoints. They also denied that receiving a draft notice restricts a citizen’s right to leave the country.

Still, footage from Vesti contradicts these claims, describing military officials and investigators as “literally meeting arrivals at the plane.”

Military law expert Timofey Vaskin from the rights group School of the Conscript believes the real focus is on men “of non-Slavic appearance,” due to their supposed limited resources.

“They can’t check every arriving male passenger—the Interior Ministry and military offices are severely understaffed,” Vaskin noted. “It’s a troubling sign of growing control, but it’s not yet a systemic collapse.”

He added that while native-born Russians can usually ignore draft notices without serious consequences, naturalized citizens face greater risks, including potential passport issues or complications with their legal status.

Previously, it was reported Moscow human rights groups reported that police have begun detaining draft-age men in the capital’s metro using the city’s face-recognition network.

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