No exit Russia is developing a new ‘data exchange’ system to help the FSB catch conscripts trying to leave the country
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been tightening conscription rules and increasing penalties for draft evasion. One amendment, passed in April 2023, bars anyone who’s been served a summons from leaving the country until they report to the military authorities. To streamline enforcement of this policy, the Russian authorities are developing a new “electronic data exchange” system between the Defense Ministry and the FSB’s border service to ensure that men called up for service can’t leave the country. Here’s what we know about the new system and when it might be operational.
On May 31, 2024, Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media placed a tender on the government procurement website for the implementation of an “electronic data exchange” between the country’s Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB). The winning contractor was the “Voskhod” Research Institute, which is subordinate to the Digital Development Ministry.
In the spring of 2023, Russia passed new legislation introducing “temporary measures aimed at ensuring compliance with military summons.” Most of these new measures are targeted at “draft evaders” who ignore summonses, and they can only be applied 20 calendar days after the recipient fails to appear at a military conscription office. However, one of the “temporary measures” comes into force as soon as the summons is issued: a ban on leaving Russia.
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Voskhod’s new project will handle the transfer of the “list of all persons temporarily restricted from leaving Russia and subject to military conscription” from the Defense Ministry’s summons register to the FSB border service’s federal data processing center. This list will be updated “periodically,” though the exact frequency isn’t specified. The border service will then send back information confirming the implementation or lifting of restrictions.
Officially, the system of temporary restrictions is intended for Russians conscripted for regular compulsory service. However, it’s likely to also be used for those called up through mobilization. The fall conscription in Russia typically begins on October 1. (In 2022, it was postponed to November 1 due to the mobilization announced in September.)
Voskhod is tasked with developing the software, writing its documentation, and testing its functionality by September 2, 2024. By October 14, the institute must have systems in place “to enhance capacity for interagency information sharing.” Formally, the contract’s completion date is November 29, with the project valued at 40.9 million rubles (about $462,000).
The fall 2024 conscription will be conducted using a new “unified registry” of citizens eligible for military service, as per a December 2023 presidential order. In April, the Russian government specified that the new system must be ready by October 31 and that the Defense Ministry would start using it on November 1. This means that already this fall, the FSB could prohibit anyone called up for military service from leaving the country.
