---
title: "Russia Plans to Draft 120,000 Conscripts in Fall 2026"
description: "During the fall 2026 conscription campaign, Russia plans to send 120,000 people for mandatory military service, the Russian General Staff reported."
date: 2026-10-01T09:50:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/russia-plans-to-draft-120000-conscripts-fall-2026
tags: [russia, conscription, mobilization, ukraine-war, military]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Russia Plans to Draft 120,000 Conscripts in Fall 2026

![Russian servicemen at an assembly point during the conscription campaign](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/01/osenyu-v-rossiyskuyu-armiyu-prizvut-120-tysyach-chelovek-2026/osenyu-v-rossiyskuyu-armiyu-prizvut-120-tysyach-chelovek-2026-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Russia will draft 120,000 citizens for military service in fall 2026
- Deployment of recruits from assembly points will begin on October 10
- The Russian General Staff claims conscripts will not be sent to Ukraine
- Ukrainian authorities report covert additional mobilization in Russia

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has announced plans to send approximately 120,000 individuals for mandatory military service as part of the autumn 2026 conscription campaign. This information was officially released by Colonel-General Yevgeny Burdinsky, Head of the Mobilization Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. According to the approved schedule, the direct deployment of recruits from assembly points to their military service locations is set to begin on October 10.

### Conscription Features and Official Guarantees

Representatives of the Russian military department emphasize that autumn conscripts allegedly will not be deployed to perform tasks in the zone of the so-called special military operation. It is claimed that conscript soldiers are not sent to the territories of annexed and occupied regions of Ukraine, including the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. For comparison, during the spring 2026 campaign, which ran from April to July, over 140,000 people were sent for mandatory service. It is worth noting that a modified conscription system has been in effect in the country since this year, where registration procedures are conducted year-round, while deployments to the troops still take place during the spring and autumn seasons.

### Contradictory Data

While official Russian sources report limitations on conscript duties and planned figures of 120,000 individuals, the Ukrainian leadership and independent observers assess the situation differently. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that the Russian Federation has de facto already launched covert additional mobilization, utilizing various mechanisms to increase the size of its armed forces. According to the Ukrainian leader, Moscow is actively expanding opportunities for recruiting citizens and engaging foreign mercenaries; specifically, the presence of thousands of DPRK military personnel on Russian territory has been recorded, which sharply contrasts with the official stance of the Russian General Staff regarding the purely routine nature of the autumn draft.

### Expert Assessment and Context

Analysts note that any statements by defense agencies amid a large-scale armed conflict require critical evaluation. Despite official promises not to send conscripts to the combat zone, human rights defenders have repeatedly recorded instances of pressure on servicemen to sign contracts immediately upon arrival at military units. Against the backdrop of ongoing large-scale hostilities, the Russian army's need for manpower remains extremely high, forcing the military leadership to seek all possible ways to replenish reserves, including both official draft campaigns and covert forms of mobilization.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Осенью в российскую армию призовут 120 тысяч человек](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/voseni-rosiysku-armiyu-prizvut-120-tisyach-1790847991.html) - Сообщение о заявлении Бурдынского и данных по призыву.
- [В осенний призыв Минобороны РФ планирует отправить на срочную службу 120 тысяч человек](https://meduza.io/news/2026/10/01/v-osenniy-prizyv-minoborony-rf-planiruet-otpravit-na-srochnuyu-sluzhbu-120-tysyach-chelovek) - Подтверждены цифры осеннего призыва 2026 года.
- [Осенний призыв-2026: в войска направят около 120 тысяч человек](https://kubnews.ru/obshchestvo/2026/10/01/osenniy-prizyv-2026-v-voyska-napravyat-okolo-120-tysyach-chelovek/) - Информация о графике отправки с 10 октября.
- [Во время осеннего призыва в армию отправят 120 тысяч человек](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8991095) - Данные о сроках и параметрах призывной кампании.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How many people are planned to be drafted in fall 2026?
**A:** The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to send about 120,000 people for mandatory service.

### Q: When will the deployment of recruits to service locations begin?
**A:** The deployment of conscripts from assembly points starts on October 10, 2026.

### Q: Will conscripts be sent to the combat zone in Ukraine?
**A:** Representatives of the Russian General Staff officially state that conscripts will not be sent to Ukraine and occupied regions.