Original Russian-language document. Decree of the Head of the Luhansk People's Republic imposing restrictions on the departure (exit) of male citizens subject to military duty from LPR territory during the period of general mobilisation, issued in February 2022 concurrently with the LPR general mobilisation declaration. This decree is the legal enforcement mechanism for the mobilisation order, preventing conscription-age men from leaving the territory.
This decree restricts the right of LPR citizens subject to military duty to leave LPR-controlled territory during the period of general mobilisation declared in February 2022. The travel restriction is the enforcement corollary of the general mobilisation declaration: without a restriction on departure, the mobilisation order could be evaded by leaving the territory, and the decree closes this avenue. The decree applies to male citizens of conscription age and specifies the procedure for requesting permitted exceptions. The imposition of such travel restrictions on men of fighting age in connection with military mobilisation is a measure that, under international humanitarian law, is applicable only to combatants: its application to civilians in an occupied territory constitutes a potential violation of their rights under Articles 48 and 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the right to freedom of movement under Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The decree is analytically significant as one of the clearest examples of how the DPR and LPR legal frameworks were used to compel participation in Russia's military operations: men who refused to be conscripted could not leave, and men who remained were subject to forced enlistment.
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Subject matter
The decree prohibits male citizens of the Luhansk People's Republic who are subject to military duty from departing the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic during the period of general mobilisation without the permission of the military commissariat.
Scope of restriction
- The restriction applies to all male citizens in the relevant age cohorts subject to military duty under LPR law.
- Departure is permitted only with written authorisation from the military commissariat, which may grant permission on grounds including medical treatment, family emergency, or other exceptional circumstances.
- Unauthorised departure constitutes a violation of LPR law on mobilisation and is subject to enforcement measures.
Analytical note — coercive conscription
The combination of (1) a general mobilisation declaration, (2) a travel restriction preventing departure, and (3) the requirement to report to military commissariats creates a coercive conscription environment. This decree, together with the conscription decree of 2025 (DOC-120) targeting younger cohorts, documents the LPR's use of executive power to compel military service over a period of more than three years. The ICRC and various UN bodies have documented coercive conscription in occupied Ukrainian territories as a potential violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits an occupying power from compelling civilians of the occupied territory to serve in its armed forces (Hague Regulations, Article 52; Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 51).