Putin closing net on deserters with new bill stopping conscripts from leaving Russia

The Kremlin has unanimously voted to tighten its grip on Russian residents and make it easier to summon recruits for the army with a new law. Russian MPs approved a law where recruits will receive their summons digitally, making a possible draft much more efficient as Russian President Vladimir Putin gears up for another wave of attacks on Ukraine.

Today, 391 Russian deputies voted to approve the new law unanimously as there were no absentees or votes against it.

A fresh draft may be announced shortly, reports claim.

Andrei Kartapolov, who chairs the lower-house State Duma’s Defense Committee, said on Monday: “We’re introducing notifications by mail and offer the possibility to duplicate these summonses electronically.”

After the new bill comes into force, new conscripts will be required to show up for recruitment after being notified not only in person but also digitally.

Mr Kartapolov said that the electronic summons will now be treated like their paper analogs after the Duma adopts the changes.

Those who refuse to show up after being summoned will face harsh punishment, including being blocked from leaving the country.

However, in an update, Mr Kartapolov said today that the new electronic summons would not only apply to conscripts, but all other men eligible for military service.

He said the electronic summons will be classified as received once it arrives in the recruits inbox on Russia’s online public services portal, Gosuslugi.

The move has been seen as a desperate bid to gather up more recruits as the new law will make it tougher for eligible Russians to evade compulsory military service.

Russia’s “partial” mobilisation for the war in Ukraine in September 2022 sparked widespread panic among military-age men, as it prompted tens of thousands to flee the country to avoid being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.

Just last week, Moscow announced its annual spring draft where President Putin signed a decree ordering 147,000 men to be enrolled for a year of military service, which is about 8 percent more on average than in previous years.

Just last spring, on April 1, the president ordered 134,500 men to be enrolled.

However, the fresh spring draft comes amid a nationwide marketing campaign as the Kremlin scrambles to gather more recruits.

According to Bloomberg, Putin’s army hopes to recruit 400,000 more men to join the effort in Ukraine.

But the Russian Defence Ministry has rejected these claims and insisted the country is not planning another mobilisation.

Vladimir Tsimlyansky, the head of the Main Organisational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, stated: “Our general staff are not planning a second mobilisation wave.

“The number of people who were already drafted and those who volunteered for the special operation is sufficient.”

source: express.co.uk