Several women in Russia said they had received summonses through the electronic registry, including calls to appear at draft offices for procedures connected with military training. According to them, the notices concern women with military-accounting specialties, even though the law does not provide for sending them to such training.
Oksana, who completed military training in communications, said that in early July she received a text message about a summons and found in the registry that she had been called “for procedures related to military training.” She said she is pregnant and, after calling the draft office, was told that the summonses are “sent by AI, and it does not see gender,” but that she should still come with her passport and military ID. Later, the summons entry disappeared from the registry.
The report notes that in the event of mobilization, women may be drafted if their professions are included in the list of military-accounting specialties, including communications, computer technology, meteorology, medicine, printing, and cartography. At the same time, after the announcement of “partial mobilization” in September 2022, the Defense Ministry said it would not apply to women. Nevertheless, reports of summonses issued to women appeared then as well; in St. Petersburg, officials described them as technical errors.
Another interviewee, Anastasia, who works as a nurse at a private clinic, said she received a first summons on June 9 to update her records, and then a second one on July 1 ordering her to appear on July 6. She said she sent her information by mail and decided not to go, because she believes the matter goes beyond a routine records check.
Natalya, a 30-year-old communications radio technician from a southern region who is on maternity leave, said that on the night of June 1–2 she received a summons for June 5 to clarify military registration documents. In a phone call, she said, a duty officer suggested that they likely wanted to process her for training. After complaints and a threat to contact prosecutors, a deputy military commissar said women were not being called for training, and the summons was then withdrawn, citing the fact that she had a small child.
“I will not go to any draft office to be processed for military training; it is unlawful,” Natalya said, recounting her conversation with a draft office representative.
The outlet also cites a case from March 2026, when a summons was sent to Volgograd teacher Karina Samarina. After publicity, the summons was canceled, and, according to her, draft office staff apologized and said she had been confused with a man because of similar phone numbers.