Russia Implements Electronic Draft to Prevent Desertion Amid Ukraine War

Russia plans to introduce electronic military draft papers to make it harder for men to avoid being called up to fight in Ukraine. The new proposals will send summons electronically to a potential draftee’s personal account on the main government portal. Citizens who fail to show up at the military enlistment office will be automatically banned from travelling abroad and face a raft of other restrictions to complicate their lives inside Russia. The move is part of a wider push by Moscow to perfect a system it has used to bolster its military forces in Ukraine, though government officials say there are currently no plans to compel more men to fight there.