Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree authorizing the country’s military draft for 2026. The document has been published on the official state portal for legal information.

Under the decree, Russian citizens aged 18 to 30 who are not in the reserve and are subject to conscription will be called up for military service between January 1 and December 31, 2026. The overall draft target for the year has been set at 261,000 people.

A key change outlined in the document is the shift to a year-round conscription system. At the same time, the actual deployment of draftees to their duty stations will continue to follow the traditional two-phase schedule: the spring intake from April 1 to July 15, and the autumn intake from October 1 to December 31.

The decree also defines stricter timelines for compliance. Those summoned must report to their local military enlistment office within no more than 30 days from the moment a draft notice is posted in the unified digital register. Military commissariats are authorized to issue official extracts from this register both to citizens being registered for military service for the first time and to those who are already registered or required to do so.

Responsibility for organizing medical examinations and conducting professional psychological assessments of conscripts is assigned to the draft commissions, which will oversee these procedures throughout the conscription process.