A record number of conscripts are doing alternative civilian service in Russia. This is linked to unprecedented interest in ACS amid the war

A record number of conscripts are doing alternative civilian service in Russia. This is linked to unprecedented interest in ACS amid the war

In 2026, 3,387 conscripts are doing alternative civilian service in Russia. That is more than a year ago and three times higher than the usual figure in the period before the invasion of Ukraine. As human rights advocates told Verstka, this increase is explained not by draft commissions’ loyalty, but by unusually high interest in a form of service that does not require taking part in military operations.

Getting assigned to ACS in 2026 is not easy. A smaller percentage of petitions are approved, while the number of unreviewed applications, on the contrary, has grown, Verstka was told by the School of the Conscript.

Draft commissions and courts are coming up with ever new arguments to deny ACS. For example, they claim that a young man cannot be a pacifist if he went to karate at the age of seven or studied Life Safety Basics at school.

At military enlistment offices, conscripts told Verstka, commission members talk about the “special military operation,” appeal to a sense of duty, and ask: “What will you do when they come to kill your loved ones?”

Read more about what lowers and what raises the chances of receiving ACS in the article on Verstka’s website (with VPN):

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Verstka

“If they start killing your loved ones, what will you do?” Who is rejected and who is approved for alternative civilian service in 2026…

A record number of conscripts are serving in alternative civilian service in Russia — this is happening because of unprecedented interest in civilian service amid the war