Russia intensifies conscription of men 18-30 in occupied Donetsk region

The National Resistance Center reported the information.

"The document explicitly defines the age bracket – men born from 1996 to 2008 – and establishes a separate institutional system: a 'DPR conscription commission' and a network of commissions in cities and districts. This isn't about a campaign, but rather about creating a permanent apparatus for forcibly recruiting people into the war," the report states.

According to the Center's sources, preparations for the draft began well in advance, and lists of draft-age men have already been compiled locally based on data from passport services, employers, and educational institutions.

"Special attention is being paid to students and public sector workers – those who are easiest to pressure through documentation requirements, deferments, and threats of dismissal," the National Resistance Center emphasizes.

Meanwhile, medical commissions in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk region are formally presented by the Russians as health checkups, but "in reality, they've received unofficial instructions to minimize the number of those deemed 'unfit.'"

The Resistance also stresses that the occupation administration is relying less on general Russian regulations and is forming its own rules and structures.

"According to the National Resistance Center assessments, this indicates large-scale mobilization plans specifically for the temporarily occupied territories, where decisions are made faster and more harshly than in Russia itself. Local 'rule-making' allows them to flexibly expand conscription, bypass formal restrictions, and lower fitness standards," the report explains.

• In November, Russia officially incorporated the occupied territories of Ukraine into the Southern Military District and began mobilizing the local population.