Cfrtjryk

I have British and Russian citizenship and passport. When I go to Russia on my Russian passport there I am no longer British but Russian and likewise in Britain.

Under Russian law, you are required to do military or alternative service when you are 18. Say if I travelled there when I am 18 or over would I still be called up to do service?

As there I am Russian. Could I go to the British embassy while there and ask for help?

A second citizenship does not prevent you from being drafted in Russia unless you've already served in the UK military.

There are, however, multiple other exemptions, such as:

• Being younger than 18 or older than 27.


• Being physically or psychologically unfit for the military service.


• Having a PhD or another postgraduate degree.

If you're uncertain you're exempt and want to avoid the service, I strongly suggest consulting a lawyer specializing in military draft before your visit and avoid visiting Russia during the draft period (April 1 through July 15 and October 1 through December 31).

References: rg.ru, pravoved.ru.

Indeed, if you are "permanently residing outside the Russian Federation" you are exempt from military registration ("воинский учёт"), hence, a fortiori, from military service. Here is the link to the law: https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%BE%D1%82_28.03.1998_%E2%84%96_53-%D0%A4%D0%97/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BB_II#%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8C%D1%8F_8 (see last line of the header of paragraph 1, just before subparagraph 1.1)

Concretely, to benefit from this, you need to cancel your registration ("регистрация по месту жительства") at your Russian address (if you still have one), and then to register at the consulate ("консульский учёт"). (Maybe registering at the consulate automatically cancels your registration in Russia, but if I remember correctly, it does not: you have to first de-register from Russia, then register abroad, in that order.)

First of all, the British embassy will not be able to do anything for you, as you are a Russian citizen in your home country, even though you are also a British citizen abroad.

Most countries send out paper work about compulsory military service around the time they first invite you for medical testing or first training, in my country it used to be testing at 18, first letter about 3 months before your 18th birthday.

You will have to show up for that test or training or provide the military (in your case in Russia) with a good reason why you are not there.

If you fail to react to the invitation or have not received it for not being registered in Russia, you may well be picked up at your Russian port of arrival, likely the airport, as soon as your Russian citizenship and your age are seen by someone. Even if you travel on your British passport you may be found out.

Most countries do not mind if you do not speak the local language, have never been in the country since birth and so on, if you have the citizenship, are in the military service age and gender, you have to serve. Some countries will not let you stop having the citizenship and if you do not serve you will have it hang over your head the rest of your life.

I do not know about Russia, but many countries send people trying to skip military service to a military jail, from which you can only leave to start your service period.

I do not have links for you yet, (will look for them soon,) but in your case I would read this as a severe warning.
Link to a Wikipedia page in Russian, (I read it in translation) It seems to mention that residing permanently outside Russia can be a reason not to have to serve. (But likely you will need to arrange it and check that visits to Russia are allowed.)