Russian lawmakers pass legislation making it harder for university grads to dodge the draft

The State Duma has adopted the third and final reading of legislation that will make it more difficult for college graduates to evade conscription. Senator Frants Klintsevich, who chairs the Federation Council’s Defense Committee and co-authored the bill, says lawmakers want to crack down on former students whose draft deferments have expired.

The new law would cancel an existing exemption whereby young men can avoid military summons by obtaining temporary residence permits.