Conscription age in Russia: features in 2021 and reviews

Rumors have been circulating for quite some time that the conscription age in Russia is undergoing changes in 2021, but there is no actual evidence of this. The upcoming call for military service in the spring of 2021 has once again stirred up the public. The most common question remains about the procedure for implementing and organizing the conscription campaign. It should be recognized that there is cause for concern, since the call of young people is described in the law, which was adopted back in 1998. But during this period of time he underwent certain changes.

The statements of some parliamentarians from the Ministry of Defense caused a particular stir. These statements relate, first of all, to raising the draft age and increasing the length of military service.

Age of conscripts in 2021

Legislative Act No. 53 of March 28, 1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service” states that the conscription age ranges from 18 to 27 years. It turns out that males can become conscripts in the army in 2021 only after reaching the full age of 18 and up to 27 years.

Note! The conscription age limits are counted from the date of birth; for this reason, it is illegal to conscript persons into military service who do not meet the age limits specified in the legislative act.

When a citizen reaches the full age of 27, he automatically receives non-conscription status, since there is no law about it. However, if at the time of conscription a citizen is already 26 years old, and turns 27 in a couple of days, then it will not be possible to avoid military service.

In 2021, the conscription period includes young people who were born between 1992 and 2001, including:

• Citizens of the Russian Federation by urgent conscription or on a voluntary basis (contractual basis), who do not have reasons established by law for exemption from military service.
• Citizens of other countries on contract service terms.

At the moment, the legislation obliges to serve for a period of 18-27 years. Spring 2021 will be marked by conscription on April 1, as in previous years. Taking into account the fact that the spring campaign lasts 106 days, the conscription will end on July 15th.

Where to go to study

Traditionally, the doors of Suvorov schools are open for ambitious young people with incomplete secondary education. They are located in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tver, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Yekaterinburg, Vladikavkaz. Those wishing to devote themselves to aerospace engineering will like the St. Petersburg cadet corps of this profile; the Nakhimov Naval School is located in the same city. For signalmen and future radar specialists, the Cadet Radio Electronics Corps in Kemerovo is suitable. There are quite a lot of similar schools, there is plenty to choose from.

The choice of military universities is no less rich. The training in them lasts, as in civilian institutions, for 5 years. Upon completion, a cadet who successfully passes all exams receives a standard diploma of completed higher education, as well as the officer rank of lieutenant.

Unfortunately, the situation with higher institutions in relation to female cadets is not as clear as we would like. Not all of them are willing to accept girls into their ranks.

A unique ranking of military universities is headed by the Academy of Communications named after S.M. Budyonny - they make no distinctions for future cadets, accepting everyone who has passed the entrance exams and has good physical fitness (health). The main university is located in St. Petersburg, the branch is located in Krasnodar. The academy has 2 faculties with full-time education, according to the budget.

The next participant is the A.F. Military Space Academy. Mozhaisky. Based in St. Petersburg, since 2008 she has been training female officers of the Russian Aerospace Forces. There are more than 40 different specialties, but the competition is relatively high (6-9 people). If a girl cannot imagine herself without space and military service, this university is for her.

The list is completed by the St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy named after S.M. Kirov. As the name suggests, future military surgeons and doctors are trained there. There are 3 specialties available for admission: dentist, pharmacist, paramedic (nurse). There is also a branch in Moscow. Having completed her studies at any of these universities, the girl will receive a diploma confirming her completed higher education and military rank - lieutenant (senior lieutenant).

Among others, they speak well of the Academy of Rocket Forces named after Peter the Great (St. Petersburg, branch in Balashikha) and the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. There are enough specialties; there is plenty to choose from depending on your capabilities and ambitions.

Who will avoid the draft in 2021?

The arrival of conscription age in Russia in 2021 does not always mean that you should definitely serve. The first, most valid reason for exemption from military service is considered to be the death/injury/injury of the father or brother of a young man who is being drafted into the army. In addition, the presence of category “D” health status is considered a significant reason. Another legal method of not serving in the army is employment in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a correctional colony, the fire service or customs. For certain professions, it is necessary to obtain proper education in advance. During this period, the citizen is granted a deferment from conscription.

In addition, the following are exempt from military service:

• A citizen who has received an academic degree;
• Persons with 1 child and a pregnant spouse (pregnancy period of at least 26 weeks);
• Young people regularly living outside of Russia;
• Citizens under arrest who have a criminal record and are serving a sentence;
• Persons who have completed training at a military department at a university;
• Persons with 2 (under 3 years old) or more children.

In addition, alternatives are actually exempt from military service. They serve by conducting work activities in certain institutions, although they do not carry out military training. For those who want to get out of the army using the same method, you should know that the period of alternative service is significantly longer and at the same time they do not take everyone there.

Also, citizens who are hiding from conscription should know that they can get caught at any time. At the moment, measures are being developed that will help prevent evasion from military service. Additionally, draft dodgers should remember that the age limit may be pushed back.

Military school: specifics of getting an education

The main difference between studying in a special educational institution is, first of all, obtaining a profession. This rule applies to both civilian and military schools. In addition, they try to instill knowledge in the fields of history, culture, science in the cadets - to raise them into harmoniously developed young people.

Core subjects depend on the chosen profession: engineers devote more time to mathematics and physics, future commanders - to the humanitarian field. In addition, almost all schools have serious requirements regarding physical training: a military man, regardless of gender, must be healthy, fit and strong.

Conscription age in case of war

The legislation states that at the outbreak of war and the introduction of martial law, men who have completed military service and have a white ticket (recognized as of limited fitness) are drafted into the army.

They all belong to the military reserve group and are actually divided into 3 categories according to age categories:

1. 18-35 years old – 1st category.
2. 35-45 years old – 2nd category.
3. 45-50 years old – 3rd category.

When mobilization is carried out, directly belonging to a certain category is considered a determining condition: initially, men of the 1st category are called up, who are considered to be most adapted to the significant loads and difficult conditions of the war period. If necessary, subsequent conscription is carried out, taking into account the needs of the army. It turns out that the conscription period in the Russian Federation during martial law ranges from 18 to 50 years.

How to proceed

First of all, the results of the unified state exams will be required. Which ones exactly depend on the chosen institution. For example, engineering majors require knowledge of physics and mathematics, while medical majors focus on chemistry and biology. All cadets, without distinction, are required to know the Russian language perfectly (and pass the Unified State Examination in it). Documents are accepted from July 1 to July 30: you will need a certificate of education, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation and final scores of state exams.

Among the innovations are a psychological test and a medical examination, the latter can put an end to many dreams, since future military personnel (including girls) need excellent health. To determine the required physical fitness, future cadets must pass the standards: short (100-meter) and long (1.5 km) distance running, pull-ups on the horizontal bar. All exercises are completed within one day.

Sometimes cadets need good command of a foreign language (usually such requirements are imposed in maritime schools). And, most importantly, training at a military university is full-time only. An exception may be made for contract military personnel who serve in the army and study at the same time.

By enrolling in a military school or signing up for a contract to serve in the Armed Forces, a girl has a real chance of achieving success, making a good career and increasing her self-esteem. Attitudes towards women in the army are gradually changing; moreover, many commanders believe that the presence of girls has a beneficial effect on guys, forcing them to pay more attention to their training and discipline. Moreover, the armies of many countries have long and successfully recruited girls, recognizing their equal rights with men.

Grounds for exemption from service

The laws provide for a number of specific reasons that guarantee absolute exemption from military service.

In 2021, you can avoid serving in the army if:

• Restrictions due to health reasons, which are confirmed by relevant medical documents;
• Presence of a criminal record in your biography;
• Mastering military science at the military department at the university;
• Serving a sentence in the form of arrest, community service, correctional labor, or other forms of restriction of freedom;
• The presence of a certificate of the military state system for the award of an academic degree;
• A person with more than 3 children;
• Implementation of alternative service;
• Regular residence abroad in Russia;
• A direct family connection with a serviceman who died while serving or was injured or mutilated while performing his duty.

What advantages does a military ID provide?

If a citizen has a military reserve card in his hands, this means that he is no longer subject to conscription for compulsory military service or service in the reserve. This is a very important difference in the case of enlistment before the age of 27 due to health reasons.

Attackers can resort to the most insidious tricks in order to confiscate a military ID from such a citizen. Deception, hypnosis, intimidation and even physical influence - all this can be applied to a gullible ordinary reserve in order to deprive him of his basic dignity!

Citizens enlisted in the reserve due to health reasons (private reserve soldiers with GPS) can find on page 19 of the military ID information about when and by what decision of the draft commission they were declared unfit and enrolled in the reserve. It would be a good idea to write down this information somewhere or take a photograph; in particular, the date of the draft commission’s decision will make it possible to determine the exact date from which it will be possible to undergo re-examination if there is no exemption from it.

If a reserve private is exempt from undergoing re-examination, then no entries about this, including a record of the date of the next re-examination, should be on the military ID (sometimes such entries are made in violation of the procedure for filling out a military ID).

“I have a military ID because I am liable for military service” is a true statement, “I am liable for military service because I have a military ID” is incorrect. Having lost your military ID, you will not cease to be liable for military service, but will only lose documentary evidence of this status (in connection with which you will have to urgently contact the military registration and enlistment office with an application to issue a duplicate military ID or temporary certificate).

Raising the draft age

From time to time, information comes from authorized representatives of the press and departments of the Ministry of Defense about the likely increase in the age of those liable for military service in the Russian Federation to 30, and in some cases up to 35 years. According to the authors of this initiative, as their age increases, draft dodgers will no longer be interested in this action. There is an assumption that the majority of them will give preference to serving in the army for a certain period rather than hiding for such a long period from subpoenas and the military commissariat.

In order for this decision to come into effect, a large amount of work must first be carried out, including legitimizing changes in the designated legislative act “On Military Duty and Military Service,” but so far there is not even a bill on this issue. Consequently, the increase in the draft age in 2021 remains at the level of gossip and speculation, which do not yet have substantiated evidence. Moreover, such a policy will contradict the course of army reform chosen by the President of the Russian Federation. According to this, there are plans to rely on the formation of a contract army.

Titles and positions

The answer to the question of whether girls are accepted into the contract army is an unequivocal yes. Upon first admission, ladies are offered initial (the lowest in the table of ranks) positions:

• Soldiers (private);
• Sailors;
• Sergeants.

For these ranks, the contract period is limited to 3 years.

The next gradation is warrant officers, cadets, and officers. They have a different duration of service - 5 years. There is another, alternative way to get into the army - to complete your studies at a military institution, receiving a military specialty.

Reviews

Dear readers, you can leave your review about the conscription age in Russia in 2021 in the comments, your opinion will be useful to other users of the site!

Vitaly

I don’t understand why some young guys are so afraid of the army that they are ready to hide from conscription for almost 10 years and live in some kind of fear that they are about to draft you into the army. Serve for a year, now we don’t have martial law, this is nonsense. The army is like a school of life.

Basil

I think that the conscription age will soon be raised. It seems to me that our policy is heading towards this. The situation in the country is not the best, and we have many draft dodgers. Young people don’t want to spend a year of their life on this, they would be better off going to clubs and drinking vodka.

Job vacancies for girls in contract service

When applying, you should immediately find out what vacancies are available. Despite the fact that there are fewer military specialties for girls, the total number of female military personnel is more than 50 thousand people, and only about a thousand of them serve in low positions. Several dozen women have the rank of colonel.

The majority work in the financial and medical fields, in the fields of communications and office work. Girls can also serve in headquarters, in the kitchen, in barracks and in communications centers. The list of specialties is quite diverse:

• cook;
• accountant;
• economist;
• translator;
• cartographer;
• PC operator.

Women can solve problems that male soldiers cannot handle. The fair sex holds positions in such areas as printing, photogrammetry, aerial photography, and meteorology.

The law prohibits women from performing garrison or guard duty. But she is not exempt from combat duty and field exercises.

[ads-mob-5]Before determining the duration of the contract, you need to take into account the woman’s age and the position in which she wants to work. Thus, a contract period of 3 years involves working in simple positions:

1. soldiers;
2. sergeants;
3. sailors.

Warrant officers and officers must serve 5 years.

Documents for contract service for a girl

In addition to the application, the Military Commissariat accepts other mandatory documents:

• Diploma of education.
• Passport.
• Certificate of registration.
• A copy of the work book (certified by seal).
• Marriage and birth certificates.
• Photos of the required sample.
• Written autobiography.
• Feedback from your place of study or work.
• Other documents about professional achievements.

If documents are provided through the official website, you need to make sure that the photographs are of high resolution. When submitting documents to the commissariat in person, you must attach copies of the documents.

If the military commission has a positive response, there is no need to rush to sign the contract. You should carefully read all its points to avoid unpleasant consequences.

When does the call start?

Conscription into the army usually takes place in the spring. Its duration is from the first of April to the fifteenth of July. For three and a half months, all men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-seven must come to the military registration and enlistment office. In the event that they do not have a deferment.

Men living in the Far North may not come to military registration and enlistment offices throughout April. They are given the right to appear before the relevant body starting from the first of May. A similar opportunity is given to those men who work in schools, colleges, educational institutions, and other educational organizations. The right to come on the first of May is given to teachers in order to take exams for students. And then go to serve.

Men who live in rural areas may not come to the military registration and enlistment office in the spring. The Department of Defense is giving them the opportunity to begin serving in the fall. In order to have time to harvest in the summer.

Illnesses with which you cannot serve in the army

There are several types of illnesses with which a man will not be accepted into the army. Let's look at them.

Musculoskeletal problems

We are talking, for example, about scoliosis. Second degree. In the event that the deformation is eleven degrees or higher.

This category also includes flat feet. From the third degree and above. If a teenager has flat feet of the first or second degree, then he may be drafted into the army.

Arthritis. From the second degree. Also, a teenager will not be accepted into the army if he is missing one or more limbs.

Vision

Men with poor eyesight are not accepted into the army. Myopia should not be more than minus six. If this figure is higher, then the man will not be accepted into the army.

Conscripts are given the same rating if they have the following eye problems:

1. Cataract.
2. Glaucoma.
3. Retinal detachment.
4. Absence of both eyes. Or one of them.

Heart problems

The next problem for which a teenager can be released from the army is heart-related pathologies. In particular, hypertension. If a conscript’s blood pressure is always above one hundred and fifty to ninety, then his path to the army is closed.

Those men who have a heart defect are also exempt from service. You cannot join the army if you have ischemia. They may also be released from service if they have vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Hearing problems

The service requires soldiers who have perfect hearing. In order to carry out the commands of your boss. In the presence of chronic otitis media, as well as severe deafness, the path to the army for a conscript is closed.

Digestive system diseases

The army does not accept conscripts with the following problems of the digestive system:

1. With a hernia.
2. With pancreatitis.
3. With an ulcer. Both the stomach and duodenum.
4. With cholelithiasis.
5. With hemorrhoids.

Problems of the genitourinary system

Conscripts who have the following ailments of the genitourinary system are exempt from the army:

1. Urolithiasis.
2. Enuresis. Chronic type.
3. Hydrocele of the ovaries.
4. Problems with sexual function.
5. Hyperplasia.

Other diseases due to which a conscript may be diagnosed with

There are a number of other diseases due to which a teenager may be diagnosed with:

1. Presence of stuttering. In this case, the conscript does not end up in a military unit.
2. Presence of obesity. No less than second degree.
3. Presence of diabetes mellitus.
4. Presence of HIV/AIDS.
5. Presence of hepatitis.
6. Presence of tuberculosis.
7. Having any type of cancer.
8. The presence of any phobias.
9. Presence of mental disorders. In particular, schizophrenia.