General Mobilization in Russia? Lawyer Explains the Ambiguous Changes in the Law

Deputies of the State Duma have adopted a law on amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (CC) in the second and third readings, which establishes responsibility for desertion, looting, destruction of weapons and military equipment, as well as surrender during wartime. The document has been supplemented with concepts like "mobilization," "martial law," and "wartime."

This change in the law has sparked misunderstandings among the public residing in Russia. Lawyer Alexander Karabanov clarified to Lente.ru that general mobilization is declared only when the country is at war. In this case, citizens registered for military service receive notifications requiring them to report to the military commissariat, where they are assigned to specific units.

"General mobilization is declared only when the country is in a wartime situation," emphasized Karabanov. The lawyer stated that this means mobilization cannot be carried out during military operations. According to him, the amendments to the Criminal Code adopted by the deputies will regulate the processes occurring during special military operations more strictly.

At the same time, under the new norms, criminal liability will only apply to those individuals who have already taken an oath and have been redistributed to military units.