(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hwa-seop = The Russian government recently introduced additional regulations requiring young men aged 18 to 30 to submit military service documents for real estate transactions, etc., as a measure to curb conscription evasion, The Sunday Times, the Sunday edition of the British daily The Times, reported on the 3rd (local time).
According to a leaked document obtained by The Sunday Times, recent tightening of related laws means that potential conscripts must submit military service-related documents before taking out a mortgage, buying or selling real estate, or registering as a business owner.
The Sunday Times explained that the document in question was a letter sent from the Federal Notaries Association to the local notaries council on September 15th.
The letter, signed by Konstantin Korsik, vice-president of the Federal Notaries Association, says that "temporary measures may be applied to citizens" to "ensure that they appear at the military service when a call-up notice is issued."
In addition, "To inform you further, Article 22 of the Military Service Act stipulates that male citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 who have registered for military service or are required to register for military service but have not registered and are not part of the reserve service are subject to conscription for military service."
The newspaper explained that this is, in effect, a measure that prevents military service evaders from properly participating in public life and economic activities.
At the same time, he pointed out the possibility that these measures are paving the way for large-scale military mobilization.
Citing reports from Russia, this newspaper introduced a case in which a notary public refused to certify the issuance of a power of attorney for a man in the age group subject to conscription, and a case in which a notary public was asked to prove before issuing a power of attorney that a call-up notice had not been issued, and explained that this measure may already be in effect.
If a power of attorney is issued, someone else can manage the person's property even after the person leaves Russia, so this measure can be interpreted as a measure to make it difficult to leave the country for the purpose of avoiding military service.
However, the newspaper said that although this letter was known to have been sent to regional notary councils across Russia, it could not independently confirm whether it was actually received outside of Kaliningrad.
Russia's military service law stipulates that men aged 18 to 30 must register with a military service institution and be called up for combat if necessary.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February 2022, he has expanded the scope of conscription and strengthened laws restricting the disposal of property or leaving the country to avoid military service.
The Sunday Times reported that President Putin has so far avoided mobilizing large-scale troops for fear of backlash from the urban middle class, but there are speculations that he may try to increase the size of conscription, gaining confidence following the ruling United Russia party's landslide victory in last month's election, where it took 349 out of 450 seats in the State Duma (House of Representatives).
Sergey Gulyaev, a retired lieutenant colonel who served in the Soviet and Russian armies and an opposition figure living abroad, said: "This letter shows that the country is in dire need of new troops. The authorities are imposing restrictions on people's lives to prevent them from leaving the country and force them to register for military service."
The Russian government is expanding military recruitment to make up for the increasing casualties.
The Russian military has lost more troops than it has gained since the beginning of the year.
Last month, more than 46,000 Russian soldiers were estimated to have been killed or seriously injured, bringing the cumulative casualties since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to more than 1.5 million.
The Sunday Times reported that Russia conducted conscription twice a year, and the number of new conscripts was usually around 100,000.
Russian authorities announced that they are setting the scale of conscription this fall at about 120,000 people.
Azim Ibrahim, a research professor at the U.S. Army War College's Institute for Strategic Studies, said: "So far, troop recruitment has been limited to working-class farmers and ethnic minorities to insulate the middle class from the effects of war. But if Russia begins to recruit troops from wealthy urban populations, it suggests it is preparing for a final offensive."
