The Stoparmy Movement turns 13
Thank you for supporting our work.
The Stoparmy Movement turns 13 — thank you for supporting our work
Dear Supporter,
May 15 is a significant date for our organization. Exactly 13 years ago, the Stoparmy Movement was founded. Today, we also celebrate our "professional" holiday: International Conscientious Objectors' Day.
In recent years, supporting people who refuse to take up arms has become increasingly challenging. Russian authorities have introduced an electronic summons register (a digital system to track and restrict those eligible for the draft), conscription has become an instant year-round process, and military propaganda has reached universities, where young people are frequently pressured to sign military contracts.
Despite the instability of conscription legislation, the ongoing autocratization, and internet censorship, our team continues to help young people avoid being drafted. Here is what we have achieved recently:
- Since the beginning of 2026, we have conducted over 4,900 legal consultations via our Telegram hotline bot and held 30 livestreams helping people understand how they can defend their rights. On average, more than 10 people reach out to us with questions regarding conscription laws every day. The efficiency of processing requests from conscripts and their relatives has increased.
- Legal Guidance. In our social media we provide updates on new legislative changes and explain how to navigate them. In recent months we prepared instructions on how to appeal restrictions imposed through the new electronic summons register. We also assisted those who were handed "mobilization orders" (notices requiring immediate report for duty) at military enlistment offices and warned students about the risks of signing contracts with the Russian Unmanned Systems Forces: the authorities are conducting a propaganda campaign and are trying to recruit young people into the army.
- Helping Conscientious Objectors and Deserters. For instance, in March, we raised €1,700 to cover legal fees for Georgy Avaliani, a deserter who faced the threat of deportation from Germany.
- International Advocacy. We continue to draw attention to the human rights of Russian conscripts in Europe. Last year, the Stoparmy Movement presented a report on the violation of rights of Russian draftees and soldiers at an OSCE conference in Warsaw. We also served as experts for a report by the EUAA (European Union Agency for Asylum). We regularly communicate with the European expert community to improve the legal standing of Russians who refuse to fight.
Thank you for continuing to be part of our shared mission to protect the rights of conscientious objectors.
Regular donations allow us to plan our work more effectively and help even more people to defend their rights.
Join the community of Stoparmy Movement’s recurring donors and support our work.
