(CNN) Vladimir Putin is about to sign a law streamlining conscription in Russia, a move that has fueled fears of another wave of mobilization for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The bill would allow electronic delivery of draft papers in addition to traditional letters and would ban conscripts from traveling abroad.
Russian officials have dismissed suggestions that the bill lays the groundwork for a new wave of mobilization – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters it was only meant to “fix the mess” that followed September’s controversial partial mobilization order that plagued by problems, prompting thousands of Russians to flee.
But the tough new rules are making it increasingly difficult for Russian men to avoid an order should it come, and Russians have told CNN their concerns about the plan.
“Now it will be much easier to mobilize myself considering how digitalized life in Moscow has become,” Alexey, a 41-year-old lawyer from Moscow, told CNN. While he’s not within the official mobilization age limit, he doesn’t expect the Kremlin to follow its own guidelines when it comes to calling up recruits.
“I have no illusions about the authorities’ assurances, which insist that these changes were passed solely to improve the accounting of the draft and have nothing to do with the second wave of mobilizations,” he said. “I don’t believe a word of it.
After September’s partial mobilization order, police officers arrested scores of demonstrators.
“I think the mobilization never ended. It started and continues to this day,” he added. This development can be viewed as the state’s preparation for increased mobilization. To allow the notification and mobilization of large numbers of conscripts in a short time.
Under the law, the Kremlin would consider Russians notified from the moment they received a summons, even if they didn’t see the summons, and then ban them from leaving Russia seven days later.
Individuals who fail to show up to a military subpoena within 20 days without good reason will face restrictions such as self-employment and being barred from taking out a loan.
The bill passed its third reading in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament on Tuesday and was approved by the upper chamber, the Federation Council, on Wednesday. The final formality is to be signed by Putin.
“I don’t trust the authorities”
When asked during a regular call with reporters whether the Kremlin was concerned that the proposed law, if passed, would trigger another wave of mass exodus of Russians, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Absolutely not. It has nothing to do with mobilization, it has to do with military registration.”
But the move could lay the groundwork for a more seamless expansion of Russia’s recruitment attempts.
“I have no confidence in the current authorities in Russia. I fear for my son even more than for my own life,” said Alexey, whose son falls within the official age limit for conscription.
CNN also spoke to Olga, a 48-year-old woman who fears her 16-year-old son will be sent into combat in the years to come and disrupt his plans for higher education.
“I feel very bad about this war. And the same goes for all other wars and every violent death, regardless of the cause,” she said. “I would prefer wars to be waged only by professional military or volunteers.
“Should (the war) drag on and intensify, and if there is a real second wave of mobilization, then I think that of course some will try to leave (Russia),” she added.
The Russian Defense Ministry routinely recruits men for military service twice a year, in spring and autumn. This year’s spring recruitment is for 147,000 citizens aged between 18 and 27 and will take place from April 1 to July 15, according to an official document released by the government.
Currently, military service documents in Russia must be submitted in person by the local military service or by an employer. The new bill makes an electronic subpoena – uploaded to a government portal called Gosuslugi – the same as the traditional method and doesn’t take into account whether it has been read.
“There is no second wave,” Peskov said after being pressed further to respond to rumors of a new attempt at mass mobilization. The bill is simply designed to make the process “modern, efficient and convenient for citizens,” he told the press in a conference call later Wednesday.
This rare admission of failure comes after an initial attempt in September that was greeted by chaos when many Russians went to the border to avoid being sent into combat. Protests also erupted in ethnic minority regions, and some military recruiting offices were torched. The original announcement also sparked rare anti-war demonstrations across Russia.
Officials said the draft’s target of hiring 300,000 workers was met by the end of October, ending the action.
Though the Kremlin was quick to downplay the importance of the move, its precautions and timing are favorable to a military bogged down in its ground campaign in eastern Ukraine after months of grueling fighting that have drained its manpower and weapons.
Western officials told CNN last week that they believe Russia has a problem generating “a trained military workforce.”
“[Russia has] admitted they needed 400,000 more troops, and not just for the conflict [in Ukraine]but also to meet new formations being deployed at the new border with NATO and Finland,” the officials said at a briefing on Wednesday, answering a question from CNN.
“How they generate this is unclear at this time,” the officials added, noting that a new round of conscription would pose risks for Moscow. “Whether the populace can sustain another round of mobilization and whether the Kremlin actually intends to test the resilience of the populace for that is unclear at this time, but the fact that they haven’t would tell us that they have some concerns about this.” “
CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Max Foster contributed coverage.