The autumn draft starts on October 1: what has changed in 2026 and who will be affected

On October 1, the autumn dispatch of citizens called up for military service to their places of military service will begin in Russia. In 2026, the conscription system underwent major changes: now conscription events — medical examinations, professional psychological selection and meetings of the draft commission — are held throughout the calendar year, while the dispatch of recruits to the duty station is still carried out in two established periods. Who is subject to conscription, what restrictions await draft dodgers, how electronic summonses work and what is important for future recruits to know — in the "Izvestia" material.

The main innovation: conscription has become year-round

The key change came into force on January 1, 2026 on the basis of Federal Law No. 412-FZ of November 4, 2025 and Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 998 of December 29, 2025. Previously, military enlistment offices operated strictly in two seasons — in spring and autumn. Now, medical examinations, professional psychological selection, and draft board meetings are conducted continuously throughout the calendar year.

""The main changes are that medical examinations and meetings of draft commissions are held at any time, and now even today decisions are being made in military commissariats," Vladimir Trignin, chairman of the Military Bar Association of Moscow, told Izvestia."

At the same time, the actual dispatch of recruits to duty stations is still tied to two periods: from April 1 to July 15 and from October 1 to December 31. The autumn shipment of 2026 began on October 1 and will last until December 31. During this period, conscripted citizens receive summonses indicating the dates of their appearance. According to him, the first notifications are sent around October 12, 15 and 19.

Who will not be affected by the general terms of the autumn draft

Amendments expanding the list of grounds for postponement entered into force on June 10, 2026. Now, citizens who serve in the internal affairs bodies with special ranks receive a deferral for the duration of their service in these bodies — if they joined the service immediately after graduating from the educational organizations of these bodies.

In addition, a deferral is granted to employees of internal affairs bodies who study full—time or part-time in organizations of these bodies - for the duration of their studies.

For some citizens, there are separate time frames for sending, taking into account the specifics of their activities. Residents of the Far North regions are called up from May 1 to July 15 or from November 1 to December 31.

Workers engaged in sowing and harvesting operations in rural areas can be sent starting from October 15. Teachers are not called up at all in the fall — their sending period is limited to May 1 and July 15.

Without spring and autumn: how will military service in Russia change from 2026

The State Duma approved the transition to a new year-round conscription system

Electronic summons and military registration register

One of the most significant innovations is the full—fledged launch of the Unified Register of Military Registration and electronic summonses. Information about the subpoenas is generated in a single database and duplicated in the personal account on the "Gosuslugi" portal.

An electronic summons is considered to have been served seven days after being posted on the register, even if the conscript has not opened the notification. An appearance date cannot be set later than 30 days after the entry appears in the register.

According to the lawyer, the lack of registration on the "Gosuslugi" portal or the Ministry of Internal Affairs.RU does not entail the impossibility of notification — the summons is placed in the register regardless of registration.

"Therefore, it is better to be registered, to see that there is an agenda, there are some measures than not to see it. This does not affect the essence of the matter, the notification," the lawyer explained.

What threatens a conscript for failure to appear on the agenda

An administrative fine in the amount of 10 to 30 thousand rubles is provided for failure to appear on a summons without a valid reason. 20 calendar days after the date indicated in the agenda, temporary restrictive measures come into force.

"Restrictions related to travel outside the Russian Federation are in effect from the moment the agenda is formed. Other restrictions begin to apply in case of non-attendance on the twentieth day after the date indicated in the agenda. That is, it is a ban on the disposal of movable and immovable property, registration of sole proprietors and the self—employed, it is impossible to conclude a loan agreement and a loan agreement, and restriction of the right to drive a vehicle," Trigin listed.

All these measures are in effect until the violator appears at the military enlistment office. 328 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — a fine of up to 200 thousand rubles, forced labor or imprisonment for up to two years.

Under control all year round: The State Duma approved the law on continuous conscription

Among other innovations, there is an approved deadline of 30 days for reporting to the military enlistment office.

How to appeal the decision of the draft board

The lawyer noted that conscripts often make mistakes when appealing decisions of the draft board. According to him, before going to court, you must first use the pre—trial procedure - file a complaint with a higher draft commission through the IFC or the portal of state and municipal services.

If the commission's decision is found to be unfounded, it will be overturned. If the decision is retained, the citizen can apply to the court, while it is suspended without additional measures of preliminary protection.

Trignin stressed that a pre-trial appeal mechanism should be used first, as this allows reviewing the decision at the level of a higher commission.

Deferrals for students and IT specialists

The right to deferral remains reserved for full-time students at universities and colleges, graduate students, citizens with temporary disability due to health reasons, as well as for those who have other legal grounds, including family circumstances. Separate rules apply to IT specialists, clergymen, and Old Believers.

Trigin noted that students can check the availability of training data in a special registry. If the information has already been entered, the decision on postponement can be made automatically without visiting the military enlistment office.

"A citizen who studies, for example, in Moscow or the Moscow region, can check himself in the register of students. If he is in this registry, then he doesn't even need to visit the military enlistment office. The decision on postponement, as a rule, comes automatically to the <url> portal. If there are no students in the register, then you need to contact the dean's office so that they can be included in this register," the lawyer said.

For IT specialists, there is a separate procedure for processing deferrals through "Gosuslugi". You can apply from February 2, 2026. To do this, a citizen must meet a number of conditions: have Russian citizenship, be a man between the ages of 18 and 30, have a higher education in a specialty from an approved list, and work under an employment contract in an accredited IT company with the required experience.

The company in which the specialist works with a deferral is also required to notify the military enlistment office of the employee's dismissal within five days.

Unified register of subpoenas: why notifications are received

The website of the electronic summons registry has been fully operational since May

Alternative civil service

Citizens whose beliefs or religion do not allow them to serve in the military have the right to apply for alternative civilian service.

The application is submitted to the military commissariat by April 1 (for autumn shipment) or by October 1 (for spring shipment next year). The term of the AGS is 18 months, while the term of conscription remains unchanged — 12 months, regardless of the branch of the armed forces.

Also, conscripts are not sent to the area of a special military operation.

The recruits will be sent to training units and military units, where within four months they will master modern technology and receive a military accounting specialty.