Kathrine Frich
As Russia continues to sustain heavy losses in the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has introduced new measures aimed at tightening control over military-age men.
Authorities have increasingly relied on digital systems to enforce draft rules and prevent potential conscripts from leaving the country.
A new report suggests those systems are now being used to automatically impose travel restrictions.
Automatic travel bans
Russian men who fail to appear at military enlistment offices after receiving a summons can now automatically be banned from leaving the country, according to The Moscow Times.
The measure is linked to the nationwide rollout of Russia’s electronic military summons registry.
Once a draft notice is issued through the system, a travel restriction can immediately appear in the individual’s account on the state services portal Gosuslugi.
First reported case
According to the “Movement of Conscientious Objectors,” the first known case involving additional penalties was recorded in Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
A conscript who failed to appear at an enlistment office after receiving a notice in November 2025 reportedly faced multiple restrictions about 20 days later.
These included limits on registering businesses, restrictions on paying professional income tax, suspension of property registration rights, and bans on driving or registering vehicles.
Expanding penalties
The travel ban can only be lifted if the person visits a military enlistment office in person.
If the summons notification remains unopened, further restrictions may follow after roughly 27 days, including additional limitations on property and driving rights.
Border enforcement
Earlier reports also described a 28-year-old man being stopped at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after a travel ban appeared in the digital system under his name.
Border officials reportedly told him the restriction could not be removed at the airport.
Instead, he was informed that only an in-person visit to his local draft office could lift the ban.
Sources: The Moscow Times; United24media.
