Digital mobilization in action: how the Ministry of Defense keeps track of all men without military service records
29 September 2025 17:39
The government, at the initiative of the Ministry of Defense, has simplified the procedure for registering and de-registering citizens. All men aged 25-60 who did not have the “Reserve” application and did not appear at the CMC were automatically entered into the Register of Persons Liable for Military Service “Oberih” without the need to undergo a military check-up. We found out what awaits them next
The Ministry of Defense reminded that young men who are 17 years old can now register for military service remotely through the Reserve mobile application, without visiting a military registration and enlistment office and without undergoing a military medical examination. However, citizens aged 25-60 who are not yet registered for military service without legal grounds will be registered automatically. The procedure for deregistering Ukrainians who have reached the age limit for being in the reserve will also be automated.
Relevant amendments have been made to the Procedure for Organizing and Maintaining Military Registration of Conscripts, Persons Liable for Military Service and Reservists (Resolution No. 1487 of December 30, 2022).
The Ministry of Defense assures that this saves time and effort and allows all procedures to be completed quickly and without bureaucracy. In fact, now everyone who has decided not to “show their face” – not to install “Reserve”, not to update their data, not to undergo a pre-employment check, etc. – will be automatically entered into the Oberig database.
Digital shadow: how the state identifies “invisible” citizens
Digitalization has its price. If someone has registered with Diia, made an appointment with a doctor through Healthy, or even opened a bank card, they have already come under the state’s scrutiny. The Ministry of Defense can easily access this data, says lawyer Yuriy Aivozian. And it is no longer necessary to undergo a military qualification examination, although this is one of the key procedures – though recently it has been rather conditional.
“I’m not surprised, because we have a lot of legal conflicts, especially in the field of mobilization. And this norm is not new – there is a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 932, where everything is clearly spelled out in paragraph 17-1. Those who are not registered and do not have a place of residence will be placed in special “virtual TCCs” where everyone will be automatically registered,” the lawyer explained in a comment to
[Kommersant] .
Previously, these norms were not applied, but now the Ministry of Defense has officially announced that everyone will be automatically registered for military service, and the next step is automatic summonses and fines, lawyers emphasize.
Three types of “invisible”: who else hopes to stay off the register
Roman Simutin, a lawyer, conditionally divides men who believe that they will not be caught by the MCC into three categories:
- “Invisible” to the state – those who do not update personal data, do not use banks, do not install applications, and do not communicate with government agencies.
- “Shot sparrows” are men over 50 who served in the USSR or in the 90s and believe that their old paper registration cards have long since disappeared.
- “Officially deregistered” men have a stamp in their passports that they have been deregistered, usually for health reasons.
“But the belief in ‘invisibility’ may not work. After all, according to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 932, updated in April 2025, data on such persons are automatically entered into the Oberig Register through electronic interaction with other state registers,” the lawyer explains.
In short, the Cabinet of Ministers has provided for automatic data entry into the Unified State Register of Conscripts, Persons Liable for Military Service and Reservists without the participation of TCC employees. The system interacts with registries, banks, medical systems, and applications, and selects all men under 60. If such a man is not already in the registry, he is automatically added to it.
“The state has done everything to make it impossible to hide. And the TCC no longer needs to manually search through 30-year-old archives,” the lawyer emphasized.
A wave of legal problems – a warning from lawyers
Lawyers already foresee numerous violations of the law, as the system is not well thought out and regulated.
“For example, a person was previously deregistered for health reasons, and now they are automatically registered again. Then they are told to go and undergo a medical examination, and only then will we decide. And these are not isolated cases. I have clients who have been excluded by the MLC, but their cases are lying idle, and they have to go through the medical commission again. This is a violation.
And after the statements of the Ministry of Defense, there will be a lot of such situations, because all this is not controlled in any way,” says lawyer Yuriy Aivozyan.
This summer, many innovations were introduced in military registration. The Ministry of Defense simplified the transition of men from conscription status to military service. Upon reaching 25 years of age, within 30 days, the data of such men is automatically updated in the register, and they are assigned the title of “reserve soldier (sailor)”.
This means that a man goes into the reserve and is registered without any action on his part. There is no need to undergo military service or basic training. The rank is assigned simultaneously with the registration, without a call to the military registration and enlistment office.
Author: Alla Dunina
