The spring draft in 2026 will begin on April 1. What is known
The spring conscription campaign has begun in Russia. This year it is going differently than before. Recruitment events are no longer tied to two dates per year. Military commissariats have gained access to electronic medical records, and turnout controls have become more stringent. Vladimir Trignin, Chairman of the Military Bar Association of Moscow, told Izvestia about the changes that await future recruits this year.
What is the spring draft in Russia?
The Spring Draft is an annual campaign to recruit citizens for military service. It traditionally takes place from April 1 to July 15 and covers the period of sending recruits to the troops. At this time, draft commissions make decisions on conscription, granting deferrals or exemption from service, and also determine the category of citizens' eligibility.
Men between the ages of 18 and 30 who are registered in the military and have no legal grounds for release are subject to conscription. Following the results of all procedures, citizens are sent to the place of service, where they spend a fixed period of one year.
Until 2026, draft events were strictly tied to two periods: spring and autumn. Medical commissions and draft commissions began their work on April 1 and October 1, during the autumn draft campaign. Everything that happened outside of these dates was an exception. Now this principle has changed.
What has changed in the draft in 2026
The main innovation is the transition to year—round conscription events, Vladimir Trignin explained to Izvestia. He noted that a citizen can be summoned to the military enlistment office, a medical commission can be conducted, and even a decision on conscription can be made in advance, long before the start of the spring or autumn dispatch. At the same time, the terms of deployment to the troops themselves remained the same.
"In fact, the system was divided into two stages. The first is year—round preparatory work: accounting, challenges, surveys, and commission decisions. The second is to be sent to the place of service during the established periods. As a result, the former "safe zone" disappeared for conscripts, when they could not expect to be called from the military enlistment office until April 1 or October 1," the lawyer said.
The expert stressed that this approach requires conscripts to pay more attention to their status and documents, since key decisions can be made in advance and have lasting consequences. For example, a future recruit may be considered fit in the winter, and sent to the army in the summer, without reconsideration.
Another important change concerns medical data. Currently, the military commissariats are connected to the EMIAS system, and each recruit has an electronic outpatient card that contains a complete history of requests for medical help.
"Previously, conscripts brought only those certificates that they considered necessary, but now the military enlistment offices see the full history of requests for medical help. Thus, chronic diseases or long—standing visits to the doctor do not go unnoticed — all information is available to the members of the draft board," adds Trignin.
How electronic subpoenas work in 2026
Another important innovation is related to the introduction of electronic subpoenas. Starting in 2026, the summons can be delivered not only in person, but also sent electronically through a personal account at Gosuslugi, as well as posted in a special Register of Summonses, which has been fully operational since May 2025.
"It is impossible to refuse to receive such a summons. From a legal point of view, it is considered awarded from the moment of placement. Even if a person has not logged into the system, this does not cancel the obligation to appear," the expert warned.
According to him, it makes no sense to intentionally delete an account on Gosuslugi or disable notifications, since this does not relieve you of your duties. As a result, a person may simply not find out about the call and miss the deadline for attendance.
The military lawyer also added that the summons is considered to be served automatically 7 days after its placement in the Register of Summonses. At the same time, the conscript's personal signature is no longer required, which makes the control system much more stringent. In this regard, the expert recommended regularly checking notifications and your data.
Is it possible to get a postponement without a personal appearance
In March 2026, the government of the Russian Federation adopted a resolution that allowed military enlistment offices to make decisions on postponement or release from service without a conscript's personal appearance. This innovation changes the usual order, Trignin notes.
"This approach works in cases where there is sufficient information in the military registration register to make an informed decision. This mainly applies to IT specialists, full-time students, graduate students, citizens caring for children or disabled relatives, as well as conscripts with the G-category — temporarily ineligible," he said.
As for the students, the expert draws attention to an important nuance. The deferral is valid for the entire period of study and is confirmed by a certificate. Even if the diploma defense takes place earlier, graduation formally falls at the end of the summer, which entitles you to a postponement until that time.
In this case, the delay may be lost. This happens if a university is deprived of state accreditation, when transferring to another program with an increase in the duration of study by more than one year, when switching from full-time to full-time or correspondence, as well as when it is expelled.
"With academic leave, the deferral remains, but only if the leave is taken for a period of no more than one year," the lawyer reminded.
This provision is fixed in paragraph 2 of Article 24 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ dated 28.03.1998 "On Military Duty and Military Service".
How to check the data in the military registration register
A conscript can check information about himself through his personal account on Gosuslugi, which displays basic military registration data, including information about deferral, expiration date, and the availability of summonses. It is this channel that is currently the main one for interacting with the accounting system.
According to Vladimir Trignin, it is important not to limit ourselves to formal verification, but to carefully verify all the information. He noted that the register may contain outdated or incomplete data that directly affects the decisions of the draft board.
"If there is no information about the postponement in the system or it is indicated incorrectly, the commission may make a decision without taking into account the real circumstances," the expert emphasized.
Trignin explained that special attention should be paid to data on education, place of work, health status and marital status. If errors are found, it is necessary to submit an application for correction as soon as possible — through Gosuslugi or directly to the military enlistment office.
He also added that it is not worth relying solely on automatic data exchange between departments. According to him, it is impossible to remove responsibility for the relevance of information from a citizen, since there are duties on military registration and some information a citizen must provide to the military enlistment office on his own, and timely verification will avoid controversial situations already at the stage of the draft commission.
How to appeal the decision of the draft board
If a conscript does not agree with the decision of the draft board, he can challenge it. Starting in 2025, this can be done in a pre-trial manner through Gosuslugi. Decisions on conscription for military service, on referral to alternative civilian service, on granting deferral, on exemption from conscription, on enlistment in the reserve, as well as on the establishment of restrictive measures are subject to appeal.
The complaint is submitted to the draft commission of the subject of the Russian Federation. The deadline for its consideration is five working days from the date of registration. If an additional medical examination is required, the period is extended, but not more than ten working days.
As for the judicial appeal, Vladimir Trignin stressed that if a conscript believes that his fitness category was determined incorrectly, he can challenge the decision in court within three months. Nevertheless, according to the expert, it is advisable to contact the authorities before the date of dispatch. If the decision has already been executed, the appeal process becomes more complicated.
What will be the penalty for not appearing on the agenda in 2026
For those who are of military age but have not yet served in the army, it is important to take into account that the control over the turnout on the agenda has been strengthened this year. As the expert explained, failure to appear without a valid reason may result in not only administrative fines, but also restrictive measures: a ban on traveling abroad, suspension of a driver's license, and in the future, restrictions on registering real estate and obtaining loans.
"It is important to understand that such measures are applied only after the conscript is recognized as duly notified. If the summons was not served in person or via an electronic account, the restrictions are considered unlawful," the lawyer noted.
In the case of systematic draft evasion in the absence of legitimate grounds, criminal liability may result — a fine of up to 200 thousand. 328 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Evasion from military and alternative civilian service").
What is important to do in advance: expert advice
As Vladimir Trignin emphasizes, there will be no more "relaxed" conscription, as before. The commissions are working continuously, and the information about the conscript has become much more complete. To avoid problems, the lawyer gave some practical recommendations.
Resolve issues in advance. All issues related to postponement or health status must be resolved in advance, without waiting for the start of the recruitment campaign.
Collect medical documents. Conscripts with health problems need to collect medical certificates and statements. The electronic card available to the military enlistment office may contain incomplete information, so additional documents will help certify the diagnosis.
Confirm the postponement to the students. Students need to certify the postponement with an up-to-date certificate from the university. Even if the diploma was defended earlier, the formal training lasts until the end of the summer.
Check the data on the "Public Services" regularly. The military registration register does not exclude errors that may affect the commission's decision. The sooner they are detected, the easier it is to fix them.
Do not ignore the summons. Upon receipt of the summons, attendance at the military enlistment office is mandatory, even if there is a right to delay. Otherwise, restrictions may follow: travel ban, suspension of driver's license, and other measures.
Apply for protection of your rights in a timely manner. In case of disputes, you can file a complaint with the draft commission of the subject of the Russian Federation through Gosuslugi or go to court. The term of judicial appeal is three months.
Earlier, Izvestia wrote that the State Duma proposed to cancel the suspension of the decision of the military enlistment office when challenged in court.
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