---
title: "Instead of Conscription — A Year in Drone Units: How the New Moscow Contract Works and What Lawyers Say"
description: "Moscow draftees are being offered one-year contracts in drone units instead of conscription. Lawyers and media warn that promises of safety and limited terms may not hold up in practice."
date: 2026-11-15T13:50:16.528Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/moscow-drone-unit-contract-conscript
tags: [drone-units, russia-military, conscription, moscow, uav-contract, mobilization]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Instead of Conscription — A Year in Drone Units: How the New Moscow Contract Works and What Lawyers Say

![Neon drone icon on a dark purple background symbolizing military UAV technologies](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/15/moskva-kontrakt-voiska-bpla-prizyvnik/moskva-kontrakt-voiska-bpla-prizyvnik-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Moscow military commissar announced a one-year contract option for drone units replacing conscription
- Lawyers warn the contract is a standard military agreement valid until the end of mobilization, with no guaranteed release after one year
- MoD promises against deploying contractors to assault units are refuted by legal analysis and actual combat fatalities
- BBC documented cases of drone operator recruits dying in action, including instances after being moved to assault units

Moscow Military Commissar Maxim Loktev has announced that capital draftees now have an alternative path: instead of mandatory military service, they can sign a one-year contract with the Ministry of Defense and join unmanned aerial system units. According to Loktev, this service counts toward the compulsory service requirement, with recruitment focused on drone operators, engineers, and technicians. Preference is given to candidates with backgrounds in IT, electronics, radio engineering, and model aviation. The initiative was presented as an "elite" track where young men would allegedly be stationed dozens of kilometers from the front lines.

### Formally a Year, Actually Until the End of Mobilization

Lawyers familiar with military contract mechanisms point to a significant gap between the marketing pitch and the legal reality of the document. A contract with unmanned system units is a standard military contract that remains in effect until the end of mobilization. When the formal one-year term expires, the command is under no obligation to release the serviceman. Early discharge requires "exceptional circumstances," the list of which remains vague and subject to command discretion. Experts, including the media outlet Verstka, characterize the clause about the ability to resign after a year as "bait" and a "marketing ploy" designed to entice young people into signing.

### Promises of "Not a Stormtrooper" vs. Practice

The Ministry of Defense and several officials have repeatedly stated that a drone unit contract does not allow for a person to be sent to the front as an assault infantryman (stormtrooper). However, lawyers refute these claims: under the law, the command has the authority to transfer a serviceman to any unit, including assault units. In practice, as reported by media, contractors have indeed been sent to assault units participating in the invasion of Ukraine, despite initially joining drone units.

### Fatalities: From Operator to Assault Company

The BBC previously reported on three Russian students who signed contracts as drone operators and died in the war within a few months. One of them, 18-year-old Vladislav Gorbunov, was initially assigned to an assault company before being transferred to a drone unit. He died on April 6, just over four months after signing his contract. 23-year-old student Valery Averin from Buryatia completed drone operator training and died near Luhansk less than two weeks after graduation. These cases demonstrate that the promised "safe" service profile is no guarantee.

### Context: Why Now?

The proposal of a one-year drone unit contract fits into the general context of personnel shortages facing the Russian army amid ongoing mobilization. Unmanned system units, formally positioned as a high-tech and "elite" career path, serve as a recruitment tool for young people who may view drone service as a less dangerous alternative to infantry. However, the legal structure of the contract provides no real guarantees regarding duration or location of service, making the advertising claims and the actual conditions fundamentally different.

## Accounts differ

### Potential for transfer to assault units and service duration guarantees

- **Ministry of Defense / Maxim Loktev:** Service is far from the front, contractors can leave after a year, and deployment as stormtroopers is not permitted. ([novayagazeta.eu](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/11/15/moskovskim-prizyvnikam-stali-predlagat-godovoi-kontrakt-v-voiskakh-bpla-vmesto-srochnoi-sluzhby-news))
- **Lawyers / Media:** Contracts last until the end of mobilization, dismissal is not guaranteed, and contractors are regularly moved to assault units. ([novayagazeta.eu](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/11/15/moskovskim-prizyvnikam-stali-predlagat-godovoi-kontrakt-v-voiskakh-bpla-vmesto-srochnoi-sluzhby-news))

*Where they agree:* Drone unit contracts exist as an alternative to conscription and recruitment focuses on technical roles.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Московским призывникам стали предлагать «годовой контракт в войсках БПЛА» вместо срочной службы](https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/11/15/moskovskim-prizyvnikam-stali-predlagat-godovoi-kontrakt-v-voiskakh-bpla-vmesto-srochnoi-sluzhby-news) - The source includes military official statements contrasted with legal experts. Case reports cite BBC investigations.

## FAQ

### What is a one-year drone unit contract?

It is a military contract that a draftee can sign instead of standard conscription. Service counts as compulsory, focusing on drone operations and maintenance.

### Does the contract guarantee service only in drone units?

No. Legally, the command has the right to transfer personnel to any unit, including assault groups, despite MoD assurances.

### Is the command obliged to discharge the contractor after one year?

No. The contract is active until the end of mobilization, and the one-year clause is viewed by experts as a marketing tactic.

### Are there reported deaths of drone unit contractors?

Yes. Media have reported on students who signed drone contracts and died shortly after, sometimes after being reassigned to assault roles.