Updated

Russian courts and draft boards are increasingly citing a school safety course (OBZh/OBZR) as grounds to deny conscripts the right to alternative civilian service instead of military duty, according to the Conscientious Objectors Movement. Anti-war activists and lawyers say anxiety is rising over fears of a new mobilization wave following the Duma election, even though helping Russians avoid service has long been part of their routine work. Grigory Sverdlin's aid group Idite Lesom, launched after the 2022 mobilization, says it has helped over 82,000 Russians evade conscription or desert over four years, describing its mission as 'weakening the Russian army.'