Legal regulations for military service in Russia under mobilization conditions

Following the announcement of the so-called "partial mobilization" in Russia on September 21, 2022, the legal framework governing military service has become a tool of repression and intimidation. Conscripts de facto lose the right to choose their place of military service, they cannot refuse to serve in the army or choose alternative civilian service. Contract soldiers do not have the option to terminate their contracts, their term is automatically extended until the end of the mobilization period. Military personnel do not have the right to refuse to participate in hostilities under penalty of imprisonment of up to 10 years.

The new law enforcement practice taking shape under conditions of mobilization and warfare indicates the total accusatory nature of court rulings and the use of punishments mainly in the form of imprisonment.

Under the conditions of Russia's modern repressive legal system, in the absence of legal ways to evade military service, the refusal of any Russian citizen to perform military service and participate in hostilities in Ukraine should be viewed not so much as an act of self-defense or survival, but as an act of political and moral opposition to the ruling regime.

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