Putin’s decree forces foreigners in Russia to sign military contracts

Russian President Vladimir Putin quietly issued a decree last month requiring many foreign men seeking permanent residence permits or Russian citizenship to sign contracts with the military, amid Moscow’s war against Ukraine, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) investigation has revealed.

Russian state and private media have barely mentioned this highly unusual requirement since Putin signed Decree No. 821 on November 5, despite its rarity in international practice.

However, the new measure is already forcing migrants who have built their lives in Russia to choose between joining the military and leaving the country, according to findings by Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, and Azattyq Asia, its Russian-language service covering Central Asia.

“We are at a crossroads”

Akif, a 48-year-old who moved to Russia from Azerbaijan four years ago, learned of the requirement during a recent visit to a Federal Migration Service office to ask what documents he needed to apply for permanent residency, his wife Maria told RFE/RL. She spoke on condition that their surnames not be published.

Akif and Maria, a Russian citizen, married three years ago and built a family farm in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, raising sheep, goats, and rabbits. Akif had already met other requirements, including passing a Russian language test and obtaining a temporary residence permit.

But the couple has decided to leave the country, abandoning Akif’s plan to apply for permanent residency.

“We don’t know what to do. We are at a crossroads,” Maria said.

Permanent residence permits provide migrants with legal stability: they allow holders to enter and leave Russia without additional visas and to work without a special work permit. For many migrants from former Soviet republics, permanent residency is the only pathway to citizenship.

Under Putin’s decree, however, some men applying for permanent residency must submit either a military contract for at least one year of service, a service contract with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, or a certificate from a military recruitment office confirming they are unfit for military service.

Similar rules apply to men seeking Russian citizenship. They must present proof of unfitness for service or demonstrate that they served in the military or the Ministry of Emergency Situations and were discharged before February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

These requirements apply to men seeking permanent residency or citizenship based on long-term residence or family circumstances. They do not apply to other categories of applicants, such as highly qualified specialists or students studying in Russia.

The decree does not apply to men from Belarus, Russia’s military ally. For citizens of Kazakhstan and Moldova, the requirement applies only to citizenship applications, not permanent residency. Special rules exist for Ukrainian citizens. The decree states that the measures are temporary but provides no timeline.

“I forbade him to sign”

Another migrant unexpectedly affected by the requirement is Burxon, a 24-year-old from Tajikistan who arrived in Russia about a year ago and works in the oil-producing Khanty-Mansi region. According to his father, officials told Burxon that he would need to sign a military contract to apply for permanent residency.

“He listens to me. And I forbade him to sign the contract,” Burxon’s father told Azattyq Asia in Tajikistan.

Short of repeating the unpopular mobilization of September 2022—which prompted many Russians to flee the country—the Russian military has exploited nearly every opportunity to maintain troop numbers in the war. Western intelligence agencies and other sources estimate that more than one million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has recruited men from around the world and attempted to mobilize male migrants.

Some foreigners have voluntarily signed contracts in exchange for payments or simplified citizenship procedures. Moscow has gradually expanded these incentives as the war has dragged on.

For example, foreign soldiers fighting in Ukraine are exempt from the Russian language exam required for citizenship. Russian lawmakers have also recently considered a bill clarifying that foreigners who fought on Russia’s side will not be extradited to countries seeking them for prosecution or enforcement of sentences.

In May, Investigative Committee head Aleksandr Bastrykin said at least 20,000 naturalized men from Central Asia were fighting on the front lines, while another 10,000 had been sent to “dig trenches.”

An unusual practice

Newly naturalized citizens have been summoned to migration offices and threatened with loss of status if they refuse to fight. Recently, naturalized migrants have also been detained during large-scale raids and pressured to sign military contracts.

Officially, the decree marks the first time such pressure has extended to non-citizens, representing a departure from global norms. In most countries with mandatory military service, conscription applies to citizens and, more rarely, to permanent residents.

The media coverage—or lack thereof—is also unusual.

Russian media typically report on or summarize Putin’s decrees, but in this case major print and broadcast outlets did not directly mention the requirement. Instead, they stated that a simplified procedure exists for foreigners who join the military to obtain residency or citizenship.

Temur Umarov, a researcher on Russia and Eurasia at the Carnegie Center in Berlin, said the decree appears to serve two purposes.

“With these rules, the Russian government solves two problems,” Umarov told Systema. “It boosts mobilization at the expense of people who have limited ability to defend their rights, and it makes long-term migration to Russia less attractive.”

“In the future, migrants will have to come to Russia exclusively as a source of labor and manpower,” he added.