Freedom of religion in Russia
There is a universal military draft for men, but the Constitution provides for alternative service for those who refuse to bear arms for reasons of conscience. The length of alternative service is longer than the standard military service. The standard length of military service is 18 months, alternative service in a Ministry of Defense agency is 27 months, and alternative service in a nondefense agency is 31.5 months. Some human rights groups have complained that the extended length of service for draftees requesting alternative assignments acts as a punishment for those who exercise their convictions.
Conscription in the Russian Empire
The term of service in 18th century was for life. In 1793 it was reduced to 25 years. Individual conscripts were drawn from urban and rural men of Russian nationality who paid poll-tax (including serfs) upon reaching the age of twenty. Because of the large population pool available exemptions were common with the decisions largely being left to the village elders of each community. The final stage in the selection process involved the drawing of names by lot, according to the actual requirements of the army in any given year. This might mean that virtually no recruits would be required in years where the Empire was at peace and the limited replacements required could be met through the voluntary re-enlistment of veterans nearing the end of their period of conscription. Alternatively, in the critical French invasion year of 1812 three separate levies were needed, calling up a total of fifteen males from every hundred available.