In Russia, officials are being fined for failing to meet their military recruitment targets
In Russian regions, officials are being held accountable en masse for failing to meet recruitment quotas for contract soldiers in the war against Ukraine. Politician Andrei Pivovarov, along with colleagues from the “Russian Anti-War Committee,” identified 61 court rulings in such cases.
The researchers found that administrative liability for failing to meet conscription quotas is stipulated in at least 51 regions of Russia. In another 21 regions, regulations are in place under which officials can be punished for violations related to recruitment.
For example, in Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Krai, officials planned to recruit 19 contract soldiers but managed to find only 11. In the Turkmen District, four out of the six planned recruits signed contracts. As a result, Deputy Mayor Ilfat Khasimov was fined 30,000 rubles.
A large-scale campaign was also carried out in Bratsk, Irkutsk Oblast. The city was given a target of 645 contract soldiers for 2025. To meet this target, the administration held 71 meetings of the operational headquarters, and mobile teams of officials and police officers visited over 14,000 addresses and conducted nearly 3,000 conversations with residents. The authorities also used brochures, advertisements, and military recruitment notices on utility bills.
Despite this, as of November 1, only 369 people had agreed to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
In court, Russian officials emphasized that they could not actually guarantee the fulfillment of such plans, since by law, signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense is voluntary. In particular, the Bratsk administration attempted to recruit more than 260 orphans and former children’s home residents who were awaiting housing. As a result, only one person signed a contract.
As a reminder, Russia has begun the practice of mass issuance of “mobilization orders” at military registration and enlistment offices, which will allow the authorities to urgently summon hundreds of thousands of men to assembly points if necessary. The insertion of the corresponding “order” into a military ID card obligates a citizen to report to a mobilization center if mobilization is declared.
As a reminder, Russia is compiling lists of employees exempt from mobilization.
