First, check whether you have a summons: your account in the Summons Register (reestrpovestok.rf) and the military registration section of Gosuslugi. Exit is closed from the day the summons appears in the register, not 7 days later: 7 days is when the summons counts as served. The notice of the ban reaches your Gosuslugi account the same day (art. 15.1 of Law 114-FZ, art. 7.1 of Law 53-FZ).
Who this applies to. The law closes the border to conscripts, meaning people subject to call-up for compulsory service. It sets no such ban for reservists. But on 2 September 2026 a reservist from Rostov region was stopped at Krasnodar airport for the first time by decision of the enlistment office: his summons 'to update records' showed as 'did not appear' in the register, although he says he went. Idite Lesom warns that one case is not enough to draw conclusions.
Conscription now runs all year. Since 1 January 2026 summonses, medical boards and draft boards happen in any month; dispatch to units runs from 1 April to 15 July and from 1 October to 31 December (Law 412-FZ). The appearance date can be no later than 30 days after the summons is placed in the register. Waiting out the end of a draft campaign no longer works.
What shows up at the border. The ban may only surface at passport control. Since April 2026 Belarus also stops Russian conscripts with a summons from travelling on. According to Idite Lesom, as of 18.09.2026, of 97 conscripts with a summons who contacted them after trying to leave, 64 managed to. There are no guarantees either way.
If you were stopped. Ask for the written notice of a temporary restriction on leaving and keep it with your ticket. Don't argue with border guards and don't sign statements you don't understand. Enlistment office decisions can be appealed, including through Gosuslugi, but human rights groups warn that appealing a summons makes sense when you have grounds for a deferral or exemption.
How the ban is lifted. By law the restrictions end once you appear on the summons or the enlistment office confirms a valid reason for not appearing (art. 7.1 of Law 53-FZ). Valid reasons: your own illness, serious illness or the funeral of a close relative, circumstances beyond your control (art. 7). Before going to the enlistment office, collect papers for a deferral or exemption and talk to human rights lawyers.
20 days after the appearance date, if you did not appear without a valid reason, further measures follow: no driving, no registering cars or property, no loans, no sole-trader or self-employed status. Not appearing carries a fine of 10,000-30,000 roubles (art. 21.5 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Draft evasion by a conscript is a crime (art. 328 of the Criminal Code, up to 2 years in prison).
Alternative service. Apply for alternative civilian service by 1 April if dispatch would be in autumn, and by 1 October if in spring of the following year (art. 11 of Law 113-FZ). Human rights groups advise applying even if a summons has already arrived, and not signing a contract at the enlistment office. Call to Conscience and Soldiers' Mothers of St Petersburg have sample applications.
Where to turn: Idite Lesom (a 'foreign agent'; only the @iditelesom_info_bot bot, there are fakes), Call to Conscience, the Conscientious Objectors Movement (a 'foreign agent'), Soldiers' Mothers of St Petersburg. If you are already abroad, see 'Military registration when you are abroad'. This is not legal advice.
How to avoid conscription and mobilisation; helps servicemen leave the country and find asylum.
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Helps people refuse military service: advice for conscripts, mobilised soldiers, contract soldiers and their families, court defence, conscientious objection.
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