St. Petersburg man barred from leaving Russia after receiving draft notice, turned away twice at Minsk airport

A St. Petersburg resident was barred from leaving Russia for Belarus after receiving a draft notice and then was turned away twice from international flights at the Minsk airport, the human rights organization ”Movement of Conscientious Objectors” reported.

The organization learned of the case from the conscript himself, whose name has not been disclosed. He said he received a notice in early April requiring him to appear for a medical examination on April 29; a travel ban appeared in the electronic registry at the same time.

The conscript first tried to leave through Belarus by land — most likely by car or bus. Border guards checked all men at the crossing, removed him from the transport, and told him verbally that he was barred from leaving.

On his second attempt, he traveled to Minsk by train through Smolensk, where there were no checks. On April 23, he was turned away from a flight to Tbilisi at the Minsk airport; two days later, he was denied exit to Yerevan on his internal passport. “In all cases, no written documents were provided — only verbal explanations,” the human rights activists said.

This case involves several unique practices we have not seen before. First, the enforcement of a travel ban at the land border between Russia and Belarus, which has traditionally been considered a safe exit route. Second, the enforcement of a travel ban at the Minsk airport against a Russian citizen — which indicates that data sharing between the two countries’ border services has begun, drawing on the electronic military registration registry and the draft notice registry.

Russia’s draft notice registry launched in test mode in September 2024 and became fully operational in May 2025. Under Russian law, a notice is considered delivered seven days after it appears in the registry.

A travel ban takes effect the moment a notice is entered into the registry. After 20 days, additional restrictions kick in: the person is prohibited from driving a vehicle, registering vehicles, disposing of real estate, and taking out loans.