Putin enforces automatic exit bans for men as conscription drive begins | World | News
Russian men are now facing automatic travel bans under a fully implemented digital conscription system, marking a significant escalation in Moscow’s efforts to enforce military service. The measures, first reported in late 2025, are linked to the nationwide rollout of the electronic military summons registry, which replaces the traditional paper-based draft notifications.
Under the system, any man who receives a summons via the government portal Gosuslugi is immediately barred from leaving the country. Authorities have confirmed that travel restrictions are now synchronised in real time with the FSB Border Guard Service, effectively preventing men from crossing borders even before they are aware a summons has been issued.
The digital registry, legally established by Federal Law No. 127-FZ in April 2023, introduced the “7-day rule,” under which a summons is considered served seven days after its appearance in the registry, whether or not the recipient has seen it.
The law also authorised “interim measures” to ensure compliance, including travel restrictions, suspension of driving privileges, and limitations on property transactions and loans.
The implementation of the system was governed by Government Decree No. 506 of April 2024, which established the Unified Register of Military Registration. The registry is managed by the Ministry of Defence and receives data from multiple state bodies, including the Tax Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, and employers.
The decree specifies that an exit ban is triggered automatically once a summons is uploaded, with further restrictions applied if the individual fails to report within 20 days.
Reports from Kaliningrad and shared by the Moscow Times indicate that these measures are already being enforced in practice. A conscript who failed to appear at a military office after receiving a summons in November 2025 was hit with a series of automatic penalties, including bans on registering as an entrepreneur, paying professional income tax, transacting in real estate, and using driving privileges.
Similar cases have been documented at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, where a 28-year-old man was stopped by border officers due to a travel ban recorded in the state system. Border officers told him, “Restrictions could only be lifted through an in-person visit to your local enlistment office.”
The Kremlin has presented the digital registry as a modernisation of Russia’s draft system, intended to make conscription more efficient and prevent longstanding loopholes in paper-based processes.
Previously, electronic summonses were tested in a handful of regions, but the “test mode” has now been removed, and the system operates nationwide.
Critics argue that the move is primarily driven by urgent manpower needs following Russia’s substantial troop losses in Ukraine.
Estimates suggest the Russian armed forces have lost more than a million personnel since the start of the conflict, with officials expanding the age range for compulsory service to 18–30 in 2023.
The new digital system marks a clear tightening of conscription controls. Men who ignore their summons now face a rapid escalation of penalties, starting with immediate travel bans and potentially extending to restrictions on driving, property, and financial activity.
Observers say the measures represent one of the most sweeping efforts to enforce military service in modern Russian history.
