Original Russian-language document. Law No. 08-INs of the First People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic. Consolidated text reflects amendments through 16 March 2020. Sourced from the DPR legislative portal. The law established the conscription framework operative in DPR-controlled territory until superseded by Russian federal military law following annexation on 30 September 2022.
The DPR Law on Military Duty and Military Service (Law No. 08-INs) establishes the legal framework for conscription and military service obligations for male residents of Donetsk People's Republic-controlled territory. The law mirrors the structure of Russian Federal Law No. 53-FZ "On Military Duty and Military Service" and creates an interlocking system of military registration, conscription, contract service, and reserve obligations for citizens of the DPR. Citizens are defined to include holders of DPR documents, directly linking passportisation to military liability. The law provided the statutory basis for the DPR's standing army (the People's Militia) prior to the formal declaration of general mobilisation by Decree No. 29 on 19 February 2022 (see DOC-108), and for the subsequent absorption of DPR armed formations into the Russian Armed Forces. Read alongside DOC-106 (mobilisation law) and DOC-107 (Art. 23 amendment) to understand the complete pre-annexation conscription and mobilisation architecture.
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Article 1 — Military Duty
Military duty of citizens of the Donetsk People's Republic (hereinafter: citizens) consists of: military registration; preparation for military service; military service; being in the reserve; military training during the period of being in the reserve.
Article 2 — Military Service
Military service is a special type of state service performed by citizens in the armed forces of the Donetsk People's Republic and in other military formations established in accordance with the legislation of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Article 22 — Conscription Age
Citizens of the Donetsk People's Republic who are male, who have attained the age of 18 years and who are not in the reserve, are subject to conscription for military service. Conscription for military service is carried out twice a year: in spring (April–June) and in autumn (October–December).
Article 23 — Grounds for Non-Conscription
Citizens shall not be subject to conscription if they are recognised as unfit for military service by reason of health; are serving a custodial sentence; are held on criminal charges or under investigation; have a temporary deferral as provided by this Law; or in other cases established by the legislation of the Donetsk People's Republic. [Note: Article 23 was subsequently amended by Law No. 376-IINs — see DOC-107.]
Analytical note
The definition of military duty in Article 1 and the conscription age provisions of Article 22 establish the legal framework that was activated by the general mobilisation decree of 19 February 2022 (DOC-108). The link between DPR citizenship documents and military registration obligations meant that the passportisation process simultaneously created a pool of legally conscriptable individuals. After Russian federal law was extended to the territory on 30 September 2022, Russian Federal Law No. 53-FZ superseded this statute, but the pre-existing military registration infrastructure built under this law facilitated the transition.