Is Expatriates Joining the Russian Army a Trojan Horse?

 

Less than two months after Russia announced a partial military mobilization, President Vladimir Putin signed a new decree that expands the scope of foreigners eligible for contractual military service and introduces mandatory conscription for dual nationals.

The decree was issued in the name of "properly modifying the military service system." Previously, Russia simplified the procedures for granting citizenship to foreigners who signed military service contracts, including signing a military service contract for one year and participating in military combat for no less than 6 months stateless person.

Expats are subject to the same rules as Russians wishing to serve under a contract, according to an amendment issued by the president.

But the amendments will not apply to foreign nationals who are under investigation, have been convicted or have unexplained criminal records, and will not sign contracts with foreign nationals who have been administratively punished for drug use.

Foreign nationals who wish to serve in the military must hold a residence permit or a document proving their permanent residency in another country, the presidential decree states.

It is worth noting that this decree is keen to emphasize that the organization of military service by foreigners in the Russian Armed Forces is relevant to peacetime.

Citizens of the Russian Federation who have a second nationality or have a residence permit abroad will also be able to join the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, according to the new revised document.

conscription action:

Russia launched a call for autumn military service in the first event in November, with plans to recruit 120,000 people.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in early October that the deadline for enlistment had been pushed back due to congestion at military registration and enlistment offices due to partial military mobilization, while the Ministry of Defense emphasized in a statement that enlistment The action has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine.

Against this background, legal expert Alexander Gavrishov explained that, according to the decree, citizens — foreigners, holders of a residence permit or documents proving their permanent residence in another country — have Right to sign service contracts with the armed forces, stateless persons now also have full rights to sign contracts, serve or perform military service in the Russian army.

Alexander Gavrishov noted that the term "citizen of the Russian Federation" has been replaced by the term "citizen", which, according to him, makes it possible to perform military service not only for Russian citizens, but also for citizens of any other nationality.

In addition, the legal expert believes that the decree - that expatriates who sign contracts with the armed forces will obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner - will pave the way for the simplified granting of the right to citizenship Paving the way for children, parents and spouses of foreigners who have signed military service contracts in the Russian army to receive Russian citizenship.

Trojan horse:

The presidential decree on the recruitment of dual and stateless persons for military service has caused an uproar, especially among Ukrainians holding Russian passports, with some arguing that they must fulfill their obligations to Russia and others arguing that they object to being accepted into the military. Arms are allowed as skeptics fear what they call a "Trojan horse" into the Russian armed forces.

Some experts believe that relying solely on the presidential decree is not enough to ease social tensions and solve related problems, calling for a serious study of the situation and then amendments to existing legislation.

In this regard, political analyst Yuri Samukshin said that if you look at the regions that joined Russia recently, there are people who were Ukrainians yesterday, but are now Russian citizens, and they can be safely drafted into military service.

As for residents of the rest of Ukraine, "you have to be more careful, they come to us with Russian passports, but we don't know what's going on in their heads," the political analyst said.

Yuri Samukshin explained that "if supporters of the Kyiv authorities join the Russian Armed Forces, it is not known what will happen, so this issue must be resolved at the level of experts and veterans before the presidential decree is issued. .”

The political analyst proposed to consider the issue of the recruitment of citizens with dual citizenship at the CSTO level, given that the authorities of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have warned their citizens that they will face criminal penalties if they take part in military operations in Ukraine. It could lead to similar measures for conscripts with dual citizenship.

Article 62 of the Russian Constitution stipulates that the possession of a foreign nationality by a citizen of the Russian Federation does not impair his rights and freedoms, nor does it exempt him from obligations arising from Russian nationality.

The last time the Russian Ministry of the Interior published statistics on the number of dual nationals was in 2020. At that time, the data showed that about 543,000 Russians had a second nationality.