The Russian parliament, the State Duma, voted in favor of amendments to a bill that would allow for the electronic delivery of military call-up papers in addition to traditional letters.
The bill passed through its third reading Tuesday and now needs to be signed by President Vladimir Putin before it becomes law.
The Kremlin said Tuesday the amendments to military conscription legislation are not connected to mobilization, dismissing rumors of a new wave of enlistment in Russia.
Asked during a regular call with reporters if the Kremlin is concerned that the proposed law, if passed, would trigger another wave of a mass exodus of Russians, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Absolutely not. It has nothing to do with mobilization; it has to do with military registration.”
“There is no second wave,” Peskov said after being pressed further to respond to the rumors of an upcoming second wave of mobilization.
The State Duma published the bill on Tuesday. According to the document, electronic summonses for military service will be equated to paper summons. Currently, conscription documents in Russia must be hand-delivered by the local military enlistment office or through an employer.
A person will be considered notified even if they have not seen the call-up papers or email and from the moment of receipt of the summons. Those liable for military service will be banned from traveling abroad.
Remember: Russia’s “partial mobilization” for its war in Ukraine, which was announced in September, resulted in a significant number of citizens fleeing Russia, as CNN previously reported.
The Kremlin acknowledged mistakes were made in its military draft process, but maintains there is no discussion of a new wave of mobilization.
