Russia to conscript 120,000 men, again promises they won't be sent to fight in Ukraine

Russia plans to send about 120,000 conscripts into compulsory military service between October and December, while again promising they will not be sent to fight in Ukraine — despite Moscow having made similar assurances before and later admitting conscripts had in fact been deployed.

Col. Gen. Yevgeny Burdinsky, head of the Russian General Staff's mobilization department, said conscripts would begin departing assembly points for their places of service on Oct. 10. He said they would not be sent to carry out combat tasks in Ukraine or in the four partially occupied Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed.

Moscow has made similar assurances before. Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly said in interviews in early March 2022 that conscripts were not being asked to participate in the invasion and would not be sent to fight. Only days later, Russia’s Defense Ministry to acknowledged that some conscripts had been deployed to Ukraine and captured.

The Kremlin later said Putin had ordered military prosecutors to investigate and punish officials who had allegedly violated his instructions to keep conscripts out of the war.

Even without being deployed into Ukraine, Russian conscripts were drawn directly into the war during Ukraine’s 2024 incursion into Kursk Oblast, where some were captured by Ukrainian forces.

Rights groups and independent reporting have also documented cases of conscripts being pressured to sign military contracts, after which they can legally be deployed to combat zones.

The latest call-up does not amount to a new mass mobilization and is smaller than Russia's autumn draft last year.

Russia plans to send 120,000 conscripts into service this autumn, compared with 135,000 in autumn 2025. More than 141,000 were sent into compulsory service during the spring 2026 call-up.

A decree signed by Putin in December set Russia's total planned conscription for 2026 at 261,000 people.

Russia moved to a year-round conscription system on Jan. 1, 2026, allowing authorities to process recruits throughout the year, but recruits are still physically sent to military units during the traditional spring and autumn periods.