Electronic notices from military registration and recruitment offices mirror traditional agendas, carrying the same legal weight. The amendments cleared a second reading of a bill aimed at creating a unified registry of individuals liable for military service. This development was announced by Andrey Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee, on the evening of Monday, April 10.
Officials say the plan would retain familiar reporting channels—subpoenas served through employers and disclosures sent by registered mail. The system could also generate these notices electronically. A person responsible for military service would be able to receive them through a personal account, via the public services portal, or at multifunctional centers, according to a statement by Kartapolov. All forms, whether electronic or paper, would hold equal legal force.
“There will be identical legal force no matter how the summons arrive,” the MP noted. He added that those accountable for military service could enroll or deregister remotely and update identity information through the new system, with coverage reported by TASS.
Additionally, those who have evaded compulsory service would face digital notices that include restrictions on leaving the country, framed as part of future digital enforcement measures.
A set of temporary rules will apply to individuals who flee military service. If a summons is ignored or not acknowledged, the person must appear before the military commissioner within two weeks of the next summons. Failure to do so would trigger a digital notice bearing the commission chief’s signature and a travel ban.
Under these rules, a person with military obligations may still drive, buy or sell real estate, or obtain a loan, but risk new limitations if noncompliance occurs, according to the official briefing.
Earlier remarks from the head of the State Duma Defense Committee indicated that raising the conscription age from 18 to 21 would require legislative changes and could be implemented in 2023.
“The Decree of Time”
The push to modernize the method of delivering electronic subpoenas was first introduced by Deputy Viktor Sobolev. He said the change would come soon and would streamline the work of military registration and recruitment offices.
Sobolev described electronic subpoenas as a response to the digital shift across government services, calling it a timely evolution. Recently, the State Duma resumed the second stage of examining a bill that updates how citizens are informed about appearing at the military registration and enlistment office as part of the summons process. This legislation was first presented to the lower house in early 2018.
Presently, subpoenas are issued in person and require a receipt. The bill’s authors proposed allowing notice via registered mail to the address listed in military registration records or to a person’s place of work or study.
The bill cleared its first reading in 2018, with a second reading in February 2022. The third reading was slated for March but was postponed. After a period of stagnation, the defense committee proposed returning the bill to a second-reading phase on March 30, 2023. Deputies in the State Duma supported this move at a meeting on April 6, according to the document’s author, who noted ongoing legislative considerations.
Changes to “Public Services”
On April 1, Maksut Shadayev, head of Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, spoke about recent updates to the Government Services portal and stressed that they are not tied to any mobilization rumors. He emphasized that there is no expectation of mobilization and remarked that those who are particularly worried can use the portal to unsubscribe from government agencies if needed.
As previously reported, the option to delete an account became unavailable to users of the Gosuslugi portal and related apps. The Ministry of Digital Development confirmed that this feature was disabled due to a rise in incidents where personal accounts were attacked. Deleting an account can now only be done in person at a local MFC (multifunctional center).