Press Release, 17.04.2023

The administration of the city of Murino in the Leningrad region did not give a permission to Yabloko on holding of the first rally in Russia against electronic call-up papers for military service, which the St.Petersburg branch of Yabloko planned to organise on Sunday, 23 April. The application in electronic form was submitted by Boris Vishnevsky, Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party, Anatoly Golov, member of the Yabloko Bureau and Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko branch in St.Petersburg, as well as Dmitry Anisimov, a member of the Bureau of the regional branch. The administration of Murino first registered and accepted the application for consideration, but then stated that the application had to be on paper.

On Monday, 17 April, the St.Petersburg Yabloko again submitted an application to the Murino administration in the “paper” form required by officials and with the due signatures, applying for the rally to be held on Saturday, 29 April.

“The refusal is absurd: especially considering the fact that they now call to the military enlistment office by e-mail and even without proof of receipt, but when we apply for a rally to exercise the constitutional right to freedom of assembly – they say it is mandatory to apply on paper and with signatures,” Boris Vishnevsky said.

The State Duma adopted the draft law on “electronic” call-up papers on Tuesday, 11 April, and on 12 April it was approved by the Federation Council. From now on, those liable for military service will be notified through their personal accounts at the Gosuslugi (State Services) web-site and by registered mail. The call-up letters will be considered personally delivered as soon as sent electronically. The citizen will be considered notified of the need to appear at the military registration and enlistment office. If he does not do this within seven days, he will be considered an evader and will be forbidden to leave the country, drive a car and make transactions with property. Before introduction of the law on electronic call-up papers, paper summons had to be hand delivered at the registered addresses of would-be-recruits or places of work and men were required to sign for the delivered summons personally. Many refused to take the letters or sign for them, or did not appear at their registered address, so the recruiters had difficulties in delivering the papers.

The adoption of amendments to the law “On military duty and military service” is a giant step towards the archaisation and militarisation of Russian society and the state, Yabloko Chairman Nikolai Rybakov noted in his special statement on the adoption of the law.

BORIS VISHNEVSKY

is Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko Party, member of the Yabloko Federal Political Committee and Bureau, and an MP of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg

ANATOLY GOLOV

is Co-Chair of the Yabloko Social Democratic Faction, a member of the Yabloko Bureau and Deputy Chairman of the St.Petersburg branch of Yabloko.  Co-Chairman of the Russian Consumers Union