The partial mobilization in Russia did not work out as expected by the Russian authorities. If, on the one hand, it is true that the army has had thousands more soldiers for several weeks, it is also true, on the other hand, that the call to arms did not warm public opinion. After all, if it was Putin himself who preferred partial mobilization to total mobilization, it’s well known even in the Kremlin that Russians don’t feel much like dying in the Kremlin Donbass.
However, the flight of many young people was not well digested. And then, as Portal reported in April, almost silently duma approved changes in recruitment methods. In fact, the use of the application has been approved Gosuslugi. For most it says little, but in Russia it is well known: it is the app used for i Public service. Most Russian citizens are registered inside and can be informed of the obligation to report to the barracks with a simple notification.
This is how Gosuslugi works
Therefore, according to the new regulation that has been in effect for a few weeks, those on the list of potential conscripts can be warned about Gosuslugi. A foolproof method for the Russian authorities. Parliament voted in April to sanitize the graves Gaps of the system launched after the partial mobilization in September. On this occasion the lists were sometimes incomplete, on other occasions they included the names of people who were not among the potential mobilizers.
Most importantly, citizens were unwittingly given the opportunity not to appear at the barracks. This is because the regulation only considered valid calls that the recipient physically accepted. If the letters did not arrive due to a technical problem, or if someone did not show up to collect the letters, the conscript was not considered drafted.
When using the application, such glitches will happen more often. First, because the Gosuslugi app is used by a vast majority of adult Russian citizens. Conceived in 2009 to simplify bureaucratic processes and allow virtual access to offices, there are very few residents of the Federation who still do not have the Gosuslugi icon on their smartphone. All citizens are therefore potentially reachable. Even the new adults, as with enrollment comes the opportunity to claim some academic benefits.
Secondly, in order to be considered convened, it is sufficient to receive that notification on the application. In fact, the authorities log the sending of the e-mail and from that point on the citizen concerned is officially a conscript. It is therefore not possible to circumvent the summons and the person affected by the notification must report to the barracks. Otherwise, after a week, she will be considered a fugitive with the further risk of having her assets frozen.
Escape from Russia is impossible
For the government, the use of Gosuslugi to recruit conscripts has another advantage: it avoids errors in the formulation of mobilization lists. Thanks to the fact that the app was downloaded by Russian citizens over the years, the authorities simply had to give in data crossing to reach all those called to arms. Or that they will be in the near future. As Portal pointed out, British intelligence expects another 400,000 men to be mobilized in the coming months.
The last alternative for those wishing to avoid military service is to flee the country. But it is impossible to do this legally. The data obtained by the Gosuslugi app is actually forwarded to the authorities of Border. A conscript who wants to board a flight abroad or shows up at a border post is immediately identified.