The Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation has requested from the military registration and enlistment offices data on those who recently received Russian citizenship but did not register for military service, the Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk reported on her Telegram channel yesterday.  

According to her, such people will be deprived of citizenship.  

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs has begun to implement the provisions of the federal law of August 8, 20024 on making amendments to the country’s law on conscription and military service and Article 22 of the citizenship law, which provides for the termination of citizenship of naturalized citizens who have not fulfilled the obligation to initially register for military service,” Ms. Volk writes.  

The Interior Ministry spokeswoman also noted that over the first six months of this year, 1,117 people have been deprived of Russian citizenship due to illegal acts committed by them.  

The Moscow Times reports that raids to identify naturalized Russians who have not registered for military service are being conducted in Barnaul, Yekaterinburg as well as Murmansk and Stavropol oblasts.

The law on deprivation of acquired citizenship in case of refusal to register for military service was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 8, 20024.  

According to this law, a foreigner who has received Russian citizenship is obliged to register for military service within two weeks after residence registration.  

A report by the International organization for Migration (IOM) notes that the Russian Federation is home to an estimated 12 million migrants, most of whom arrive from Central Asia’s nations.  

Since the beginning of 2024, more than 65,000 foreign citizens have been deported from the Russian Federation and 120,000 migrants have not been allowed to enter the country.