State Duma did not adopt the bill on revoking citizenship for refusal to register for military service

Members of the State Duma of Russia have withdrawn a bill that proposed stripping Russian citizenship for evasion of military service.

In 2025, deputies submitted a bill for consideration that provided a mechanism for revoking acquired Russian citizenship for evasion of military registration and refusal to serve in the ranks of the armed forces of Russia. According to the law, a person who has obtained citizenship is required to report to the military enlistment office and register for military service within two weeks.

The withdrawal of this bill has sparked heated debates both in Russian society and among migrants. Some view this as a sign of a change in state policy towards migrants. Experts believe that this step indicates that Russia’s migration policy is being reconsidered.

Although the intention of the Russian authorities not to strip citizenship for evasion of military service from those who have recently obtained a Russian passport is “good news,” there is still a risk for such individuals of forced registration for military service and subsequent deployment to the war in Ukraine. Russian authorities have many other means to exert pressure on newly minted Russian citizens.

In October of last year, Russian media reported that from January to October 2025, more than 1,200 foreigners who obtained Russian citizenship were registered for military service in the Perm Krai. According to the Main Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Perm garrison, 68 individuals from this number signed contracts with the Armed Forces of Russia and were sent to fight in Ukraine.

Against this backdrop, numerous complaints have been received from migrants that officials from the Investigative Committee, together with representatives from the military enlistment office and migration service, are conducting raids in places where migrants live and work, as well as in markets and streets, where they hand out summonses to those detained, and some are taken to military enlistment offices for registration. In some cases, summonses were handed out directly during the issuance of Russian passports.

There is currently no official data on how many Tajik nationals have been registered for military service in Russia since the beginning of 2025, when this bill was submitted to the State Duma.

It is also unknown how many Tajik nationals have been registered for military service in Russia and sent to fight in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, on April 20, the Ukrainian state project “I Want to Live” reported in its latest report that 3,407 individuals have fought or are fighting in the ranks of the Russian army in Ukraine.

According to the organization, they possess personal data of 12,666 citizens from Central Asian countries who have signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense of Russia and are fighting in the ranks of the Russian army. The largest number of recruits is from Uzbekistan: 4,853 individuals. Tajikistan ranks second with 3,407 citizens, followed by Kazakhstan with 2,389, Kyrgyzstan with 1,439, and Turkmenistan with 578.

In the past year, the number of citizens from Central Asian countries recruited for Russia’s war against Ukraine has more than doubled. In 2025, there were reports of 5,740 mercenaries from Central Asian countries. 

Earlier, the project “I Want to Live” confirmed the death of 446 natives of Tajikistan who died in the war against Ukraine. It was also noted that in the first half of 2025, 628 Tajiks signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Additionally, there was information that 931 citizens of Tajikistan fought in the ranks of the Russian army.