On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed bill into law a measure to establish electronic draught call-up procedures. In order to improve military mobilization efficiency and close loopholes. According to a website describing legislative procedures, Putin signed the measure. Which was approved this week by the State Duma lower house of parliament.
Russia claims to have deployed over 300,000 personnel last year to support its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Previously, Russia’s military service standards required conscripts and reservists called up for duty to receive notices in person. Notices issued by local military conscription offices will continue to be mailed under the new law. But they will be regarded genuine from the moment they are posted on a state site for electronic services.
Many Russians escaped the draught by avoiding their registered address. The new law fills that gap, ostensibly to offer a weapon for rapidly beefing up the military. Ahead of a widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive in the coming weeks.
Electronic bill by Putin was placed on the official register of government documents.
Critics and rights advocates slammed the legislation as a move towards a “digital prison camp” that gives military conscription offices extraordinary powers.
Lyudmila Narusova, the widow of former St. Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak, was the only member of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of parliament, who came out against the law on Wednesday.
Moreover, the law’s quick passage stoked suspicions that the government will launch another wave of mobilization. Which is similar to the one ordered by Putin in the fall.
Russian officials deny that new mobilisation is planned. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said this week that the action was necessary to streamline the outmoded call-up system in light of the weaknesses shown by last fall’s partial mobilization.
“There was a lot of mess in military conscription offices,” he said. “The purpose of the bill is to clean up this mess and make the system modern. Indeed effective and convenient for citizens.”