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  • War The Business of Helping to Escape the Ukraine War

Russia is preparing to recruit citizens for war with a faster, more accurate system that will prevent them from leaving the country as soon as the notification is issued.

The plan is designed so that the 'mobilized' not only cannot escape to another country, but also cannot live in an 'internal exile'. After receiving the summons, they must report to the nearest military enlistment office at the appointed time. Otherwise, after 20 days the "evaders" will be prohibited from driving vehicles, selling and buying real estate, as well as managing loans and other formalities.

The bill targets conscription for military service and "other types" of conscription. Russian police will be able to search for those who evade military service and arrest them.

For some Russians it is a reissue of Order 227 issued by Stalin in 1942 that popularized the phrase 'ni shagu nazad!', 'not one step back'. This time puffing on the back of the neck of the mobilized there are no punishment battalions pointing at them if they turn around, but all the 'big data' of the Russian administration.

In addition to the dreaded letters traditionally distributed in mailboxes, the authorities will recruit men for the army by sending them the summons in electronic format through the online portal of public services in Russia, which Russians use for all kinds of procedures.

The bill was debated on Tuesday and aims to facilitate mobilization and make it difficult for those accused to flee. Once an electronic summons is received, citizens who fail to show up at the military enlistment office will automatically be prohibited from traveling abroad. The database is connected to the border posts, which will stop anyone who has been called up even if they do not open the mailbox at home or turn on the computer. Electronic summonses will have the same effect as those sent by registered mail to the address and notifications through the employer.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied that he is planning a "second wave" of mobilization. But, in the meantime, the government has dedicated itself precisely to sharpening the system. In fact, the government would not need to decree a second mobilization because it did not issue a decree canceling the October 'leva'.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that a new wave of mobilization was being considered, adding that the Kremlin "is not discussing it." And he predicted that Russians will not panic or flee the country over the new project. With last year's mobilization, the price of airline tickets soared to several thousand euros in a matter of hours. After that chaotic process, which called about 300,000 to the front, Russia has been working for months to reorganize its process of recruiting soldiers into the army by digitizing its military records and cross-checking databases.

No escape

Last year, with the war already underway, many Russians avoided going to recruitment offices simply by absenting themselves from home or not opening the mailbox. Now it will be different. "The summons is considered received from the moment it appears on the personal account" of the public services portal, said Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the defense committee of the Russian parliament.

There will be no escape. The data of persons subject to military service will be transmitted, among others, by the Federal Tax Service, security forces, courts, medical centers, the Central Election Commission, various national and local authorities, as well as educational institutions. Those who do not show up after 20 days will not be able to operate as self-employed, or manage real estate, or drive a car, or take loans or receive scholarships or aid.

The information will flow in both directions: all databases will know who has not responded to the army's call, but the army will also know the situation of everyone who may be on their lists: address, activity or state of health. The amendments provide for the creation of a register of persons subject to military service. The data will be transferred by many departments. Among this data is information about medical history and education, place of residence and work, whether they have foreign citizenship or a residence permit in another country.

Like all matters relating to the invasion of Ukraine, debate was hardly allowed. At first, two Communist Party deputies spoke out against approving the initiative so quickly, since not everyone had had time to familiarize themselves with the 60-page document. Faced with this, the speaker of the State Duma Vyakislav Volodin, very close to Vladimir Putin, asked them: "Why did you become deputies? To sabotage decisions?" Finally, the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, unanimously approved the bill in third reading. Now the legal text must be approved by the Federation Council (the Russian Senate) and signed by the president.

Writer Dimitri Glukhovsky summed up the situation without sparing drama: "This is a law about the right of the state to sentence to death anyone with an email without the right to appeal and without possibility of escape, it is spam of terror. If you can, leave now."

  • Russia
  • Vladimir Putin
  • Ukraine

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