The governmental commission on legislative activity did not support the bill on exemption from partial mobilization of citizens who did not do military service, Vedomosti wrote on May 12 with reference to two participants in the meeting of the commission.
The initiative was submitted by Mikhail Matveev, a Duma deputy from the CPRF, on October 25, 2022. He proposed adding a provision to Article 17 of the law “On mobilization training and mobilization in Russia” which would allow citizens who have not performed military service to be exempted from call-up for military service in partial mobilization.
In the explanatory note, Matveev recalled the speech of Vladimir Putin on September 21 when he declared the partial mobilization. The president said: “Only citizens who are currently in the reserve, and above all those who have served in the ranks of the Armed Forces, have certain military registration specialties and relevant experience, will be subject to conscription”.
The government did not agree with the deputy’s initiative and claimed that, according to part 1 of Article 59 of the Russian Constitution, defense of the Fatherland is the duty and obligation of a Russian citizen.
In order to provide guaranteed mobilization of the troops (forces) in the event of a threat to the military security of the Russian Federation, it would not be advisable to expand the list of categories of citizens eligible for deferment of call-up for military service after mobilization.
Matveyev comments, “It follows from the comments that the government means the general mobilization and the draft law refers to the partial mobilization”. According to him, such an approach is possible only in case of a declaration of war.
