From today’s Chronicle of Higher Education online (subscription):
The Russian military raided college dormitories in the nation’s capital on Tuesday, in many cases rousing male students from their beds, in a surprise move to collect fresh conscripts following the end to deferments from mandatory service. …
The raids were intended to catch students unawares. Recruitment officers, each accompanied by two police officers, sometimes literally dragged students from their beds, according to a newspaper, Versiya.
Some students were taken directly to medical clinics to undergo physical examinations, reportedly in violation of a federal law that requires supporting documents from the place of study and allows young men up to three days to contest their conscription. …
Full-time students had been excluded from the mandatory two-year stints since 1989. However, the minister of defense, Sergei Ivanov, announced on December 30 that all draft deferrals would be abandoned, including those granted to college students.
