During the ongoing spring draft, electronic summons will not carry legal force and their distribution will be experimental. This was clarified by Andrey Kartapolov, the chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, on the SHOT declaration.
He stated that during this call, electronic summons will be sent in test mode only. The purpose is to observe whether they reach recipients or not. It is a system test, with no legal effect at this stage.
The Moscow military commissar confirmed this position, aligning with Maxim Loktev’s April 17 announcement that the spring draft would see electronic subpoenas issued through the State Services in a test mode.
Later, in an interview with RIA Novosti, Kartapolov noted that during the current gathering, electronic summons would be reproduced by traditional methods as well.
Loktev added on Monday that electronic summons would be accompanied by SMS messages from military registration offices, though a suitable regulatory framework still needs to be adopted.
At the same time, Nikolay Bulaev, deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission of Russia, said on April 19 that the electoral register maintained by the Central Election Commission could be used to establish a new registry for those responsible for military service.
“We already have an electoral roll, which includes citizens over 14 years old. It is a state system, and the state can use this system as needed, based on a formal decision,” Bulaev stated. The State Duma moved quickly, adopting changes to the military registration law at the second and third readings on April 11, with President Vladimir Putin signing them three days later. The amendments introduce three significant changes: the creation of a unified register of individuals liable for military service, the mechanism to issue electronic summons, and a set of prohibitions for those evading service.
The new register, to be operated by the Ministry of Defense, is intended to become the central database for all Russian citizens subject to conscription and in reserve. Most state bodies, including the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Federal Tax Service, will transfer personal information to this registry. Maksut Shadayev, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, noted that registration would not be fully functional until the fall of 2023.
Electronic summons will appear as notices in a personal account on a government information portal, or similar government resource. Maksut Shadayev said on April 12 that the Gosuslug portal would serve this purpose.
On April 17, however, the ministry’s press service announced that the official internet source for electronic summons had not yet been fixed and would be determined by a separate government law.
Electronic summons are designed to be treated as regular summons, with service deemed seven days after they are posted in the established register. Authorities assured that electronic summons will carry the same weight as traditional ones. Citizens will retain the right to delete their account on State Services, after which the draft call would have to be issued in the conventional paper format.
Efforts to deter draft evasion include a ban on international travel once the call is issued. If the conscript does not visit the military registration and enlistment office within 20 days or fails to submit documents proving suspension from military duties, several restrictions may apply. In particular, individuals may be barred from real estate and vehicle transactions, prohibited from driving, prevented from establishing a private enterprise, barred from registering as a self-employed person, and unable to access bank loans.