Russia conducts 22nd illegal conscription campaign in occupied Crimea, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention
The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea reported that Russia started its 22nd Illegal military conscription campaign in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
The 22nd conscription campaign is currently underway, running from October 1 through December 31, 2025. The exact number of individuals targeted in this latest drive remains unknown.
Since the beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea, Russia has applied its own legislation on military service to this territory in violation of international law.
The Mission recalled that an illegal forced conscription of residents into the Russian Armed Forces is being carried out, which directly violates the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention and qualifies as a war crime.
Russia has illegally conscripted at least 53,000 residents of occupied Crimea into its armed forces through 21 recruitment campaigns since annexing the peninsula in 2014.
Russia has significantly expanded its conscription apparatus since 2023 through legislative changes that digitalize military registration. These include creating a “unified register of conscripts” and introducing electronic summons that became operational in occupied Crimea in May 2025. The system allows conscription without physically delivering summons to individuals.
New provisions enable conscription decisions throughout the year, with Russia planning to transition to year-round conscription in 2026.
The occupation authorities have prosecuted 626 Crimean residents for evading illegal military service since 2015 under Article 328 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, with 317 cases initiated after February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Courts have handed down 515 convictions, issued 56 fines, and closed seven cases due to “active repentance.”
In total, 570 individuals have been held accountable — 567 for evading military service, one for evading alternative service, and two for “assisting” evasion. Fines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 rubles comprised 86.8% of sentences.
Ten individuals were convicted repeatedly for evasion, including one person convicted three times. Seven cases involved prosecution following a previous fine.
Crimean Tatars face disproportionate persecution, accounting for 32% of those convicted despite being a minority population.
The Mission highlighted that while convictions formally exempt individuals from mandatory military service until sentences are expunged, this does not prevent mobilization because the relevant article is not included in exemption lists.
The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea noted that none of the published illegitimate “court verdicts” reference or apply the Fourth Geneva Convention, indicating a complete disregard for international humanitarian law norms, according to the report.
