Moscow Conscripts Offered Year-Long Drone Service Contract
In Moscow, conscripts are being offered to sign a contract immediately instead of serving mandatory military service. Moscow Military Commissar Maxim Loktev told TASS that for residents of the capital, an 'alternative' service has appeared — signing a contract instead of mandatory service.
Consensus
- Moscow conscripts are being offered a one-year contract to serve in unmanned systems forces instead of traditional conscription.
- The contract is presented as an alternative to mandatory military service and counts as fulfilling the draft obligation.
- Recruitment focuses on operators, engineers, and technicians for drones.
- Candidates with experience in IT, electronics, radio engineering, and model aviation are prioritized.
- The initiative was announced by Moscow's military commissioner, Maxim Loktev, in interviews with TASS.
- The program is being piloted in Moscow and may be expanded to other cities like St. Petersburg.
- Recruitment includes outreach to universities and students, with promises of bonuses and guaranteed discharge after one year.
- The Ministry of Defense announced the creation of unmanned systems forces in November 2025.
- The program began actively recruiting students from December 2025.
- Some individuals who signed contracts have been sent to combat zones and died on the front lines.
Points of divergence
- The Ministry of Defense has set a target to recruit at least 2% of university students into the drone forces. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- The legal department of the 'Movement of Conscientious Objectors' claims that the promise of discharge after one year is a deception and that personnel can be reassigned at any time. — tg_echoonline_news
- Experts consider the one-year contract term a 'marketing ploy' and note that the contract continues until the end of mobilization, with no obligation to discharge. — novaya_eu
- The 'special year-long contract' is actually identical to a standard indefinite contract, with no real guarantee of discharge. — tg_istories_media
- The Ministry of Defense plans to recruit 80,000 people into drone forces by the end of 2026. — tg_istories_media
- The Ministry of Defense launched a platform for training military-purpose neural networks in October 2023, involving over 40 organizations. — vm
Coverage (10 sources)
- Moscow military commissariat lures conscripts into 'one-year UAV contract' — SOTAvision
- Moscow conscripts offered to replace mandatory service with a 'yearly' contract with UAV forces — The Moscow Times
- In Moscow, conscripts are offered to sign a contract immediately instead of serving — ASTRA
- Military Commissar Loktev: conscripts in Moscow may sign special contract for drone forces — Фонтанка
- Moscow military recruiter said conscripts are offered to sign a 'special annual contract' in UAV units instead of... — ЭХО / Новости
- Moscow conscripts are being offered a one-year contract in UAV units instead of mandatory service — Новая газета Европа
- Moscow Military Commissioner Reveals How He Lures Conscripts into War. He Offers Them to Sign a Non-Existent 'Annual' Contract... — Важные истории
- Conscripts in Moscow have the right to serve in unmanned systems troops — Вечерняя Москва
- In Moscow, conscripts have the right to sign a special annual contract for service in the unmanned systems troops — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Moscow conscripts may sign a special one-year contract in BPS forces — Вести