The military commissar of Dmitrov, Dubna and Taldom near Moscow, Mikhail Fotin, announced on the air of Dmitrov TV that he would return to a two-year conscription service in 2023. He referred to "official information" from the military commissar of the Moscow region. The video was removed shortly after posting.
“Citizens called up in the spring will serve for a year and a half, and those called up in the fall of 2023 will serve for two years,” Fotin said. He added that "it will be necessary to form new formations, military units and equip them not only with contract servicemen, but also with conscription servicemen," because the "northern neighbors" are joining NATO.
MSK1.Ru journalists got through to Fotin and asked him if the term of military service would really increase. “I have said a lot there. It all depends on how it's mounted. You can edit the material you receive in different ways,” he replied.
In an interview with Baze, Fotin later stated that "in general, this is a video from two years ago." According to the military, it was filmed a long time ago, but he only learned about the publication today. Why this video was recorded, Fotin did not explain.
Meanwhile, the military commissar of the Moscow region, Alexei Astakhov, specified that no changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation on the topic of service life are planned. In order to increase the term of service on conscription, it is necessary to amend the federal law.
Director of the human rights group “Citizen. Army. Right,” Sergei Krivenko, in a conversation with The Insider, said that he regards this speech by the military commissar “as another horror story designed to scare / motivate recruits to go to the military registration and enlistment offices now”:
In past years, such fakes necessarily appeared before recruiting companies – rumors were launched about an increase in the terms of service, terms of conscription, and changes in the conscription procedure. They said that, allegedly, there was no need to wait for a summons, but it was necessary to appear at the military registration and enlistment offices and so on.
No events preparing an increase in service life have been recorded. They are also defined in the law on military duty and military service, so at least a change in the law is needed. Not the level of the military commissar to make such statements.