Russia has completed its autumn military conscription campaign. A total of 135,000 new recruits aged 18 to 30 were drafted into the armed forces as well as other troops and formations, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.
As a result, this autumn draft became the largest since 2016, when 152,000 people were conscripted, and also the largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. By comparison, 120,000 conscripts were drafted during the autumn campaign in 2022, 130,000 in 2023, and 133,000 in 2024.
The increase in the number of conscripts this autumn is explained by the fact that fewer people than planned were drafted during the spring campaign, said Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee and a colonel general. According to him, it is also linked to the “planned development” of the armed forces. “New units are being formed, including in the Leningrad Military District, to cover the border with Finland. Someone has to serve there as well,” Kartapolov explained.
The autumn draft began on October 1. During the campaign, the Ministry of Defense noted, the Unified Military Registration Register was used for the first time and “proved its effectiveness.” Notifications ordering conscripts to report to draft offices were sent via the Gosuslugi public services portal.
The military registration register with electronic draft notices was launched in Russia in November 2024 after President Vladimir Putin signed the relevant law. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov announced the completion of the system in August 2025. Electronic draft notices are considered served one week after being published in the register. From that moment, conscripts are barred from leaving the country, and a range of restrictions come into force if they fail to appear at a military enlistment office.
In December, reports emerged about a hacking of the military register. The Ministry of Defense dismissed these reports as “information dumps” and insisted that the system is operating normally.
Starting January 1, 2026, conscription in Russia will formally take place throughout the entire calendar year. However, as before, the actual deployment of conscripts is planned for April 1–July 15 and October 1–December 31.
