The State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, has approved a bill to allow for year-round military conscription procedures as the armed forces seek to maintain troop levels amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Having passed its third and final reading, the legislation now requires approval from the upper house and President Vladimir Putin’s signature to become law.
The new measure would authorize conscription offices to summon draftees for medical exams and other administrative requirements throughout the year, rather than being restricted to the traditional spring and autumn draft periods. According to the bill’s authors, this change is intended to streamline operations and ease the administrative burden on military enlistment offices. The bill clarifies that conscripts will still only begin their mandatory service during the established biannual draft windows.
Under current Russian law, all men aged 18 to 30 must complete one year of military service, with deferments available for students or those with certain medical conditions. Each draft cycle typically calls up between 130,000 and 160,000 individuals.
Russian authorities have consistently stated that conscripts are not deployed to Ukraine, asserting that combat roles are filled by professional volunteer soldiers and mobilized reservists. However, human rights groups and media reports allege that draftees are often pressured or coerced into signing professional military contracts, which would make them eligible for deployment to the conflict zone.
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