Moscows Facial Recognition Technology Targeting Draft Challengers, Rights Advocates Report

Moscow’s law enforcement is employing facial recognition technology to apprehend men challenging their military conscription orders, according to the Civil Alliance of Russia, a human rights organization.

Oleg Filatchev, the head of the Civil Alliance of Russia, reported that a 19-year-old client contesting his draft was detained in the Moscow metro on Saturday and taken to a conscription facility on Ugreshskaya Street, where it is estimated that around 20 other young men were held under similar circumstances.

Filatchev explained that when an individual disputes a draft decision in court, local recruitment offices flag their information in government databases, marking them as potential draft evaders.

Consequently, if these individuals are captured on surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition, they can be apprehended automatically.

Lawyers seeking to assist the detained individuals have alleged that they have been denied access to their clients at the Ugreshskaya facility, even when presenting a notarized power of attorney.

Filatchev recommended that those contesting their conscription orders should refrain from using the metro and, if detained, should decline medical examinations unless they possess a legally valid draft notice.

He also encouraged them to lodge complaints with the military prosecutor’s office.

The Defense Ministry is set to summon 135,000 men aged 18 to 30 for this year’s autumn draft — the largest draft effort since 2016 when President Vladimir Putin mandated the conscription of 152,000 individuals for mandatory service.

When combined with the record 160,000 summoned in the spring, a total of 295,000 men are projected to enlist this year.

This fall, draft notices in Moscow, as well as in the Mari El Republic and the Ryazan and Sakhalin regions, are being issued exclusively in electronic format.

These digital notices are regarded as delivered once posted online, after which recipients are automatically prohibited from leaving Russia.

Those who fail to report for duty may face various penalties, including restrictions on registering as self-employed or individual entrepreneurs, driving, acquiring passports, securing loans, or engaging in real estate transactions.

They could also incur fines ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 rubles (approximately $123-$370).