Sberbank, Russia's largest employer with over 287,000 staff, held an internal meeting on military registration and employee deferments on August 28, according to the Telegram channel "Mozhem Ob'yasnit" and republished by The Moscow Times. The bank will begin a full audit of military registration data across its entire workforce on September 10, two weeks before the State Duma elections.
At the meeting, bank officials explained who qualifies for a deferment (bron): those registered at their current place of residence with data matching the military registry. "Problems start when you move from one city to another," one employee recounted. Attendees were advised to check their registry entries personally.
Bank representatives stressed they were merely informing staff and complying with legal requirements, with decisions made by "other people." Asked directly about mobilization, they replied: "Putin said there won't be." One participant, however, said there was "definitely" ground for concern. The bank's press service did not respond to requests for comment.
Interns, part-time workers, remote employees, those with mobilization orders, and those removed from military registration will not receive deferments, sources said. Employees whose registration data doesn't match their actual residence—common among those who moved cities—are also excluded, with responsibility for corrections placed on workers themselves.
Remote workers are the most vulnerable group. While employers must maintain military records for remote staff, deferments are tied to a specific workplace at an enterprise registered with a military commissariat. An IT specialist working from another region formally falls outside the lists.
The move is not unique to Sberbank. On August 28, the anonymous Telegram channel "VChK-OGPU" published documents from steelmaker Evraz showing it was compiling lists of deferred employees, asking them to sign consent forms, and excluding those born in 2002–2003. The channel's data is unverified.
Separately, The Wall Street Journal, citing Western intelligence, reported that in July, military units from St. Petersburg practiced mass mobilization procedures—billeting, supply, and weapons distribution—in the Kaliningrad region, with similar exercises nationwide.
In June, Verstka and iStories, citing eight sources including people working with the presidential administration and military commissariats, reported that mobilization was being discussed as a scenario for replenishing the army, possibly in October after the elections. The sources stressed no decision had been made.
Sberbank's meeting is unprecedented. Before the 2022 mobilization, the bank had no pre-arranged deferments; the Central Bank and Defense Ministry scrambled to exempt financiers "in critically important roles" after the decree was issued. Now, deferments are being prepared in advance.
The technical landscape has also changed. The military registry was launched on May 9, 2025, employers must submit data electronically, summonses can be sent via the registry, and fines for organizations reach 500,000 rubles. Annual data reconciliation is mandatory for all organizations, typically falling between October and December. Sberbank's September audit fits this calendar—and thus alone proves nothing.
What matters is the context. Pre-collected deferment lists handed to commissariats shorten the gap between a decision and its execution. In 2022, weeks of chaos followed the decree, with summonses reaching even Sberbank IT staff who had never served. Pre-emptive deferments eliminate that stage.
The arithmetic explains why the question arises. Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) estimates the Defense Ministry recruited 800–1,000 contract soldiers daily in Q1 2026, about 20% fewer than a year earlier. He calculates the number of 2022 mobilizados still serving fell from 246,000 in 2024 to 168,000 in 2025.
Western estimates cited by The Guardian suggest the army recruits about 6,000 fewer people monthly than it loses at the front. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) puts August losses, including killed and wounded, above 40,000 for the second consecutive month. These are one side's estimates and not independently verified.
The September 2022 partial mobilization decree was never formally rescinded, so a new wave would not legally require fresh parliamentary approval.
Vladimir Putin addressed mobilization twice in a week. On September 1, he called reports of it "dog crap," and on September 3, he said: "There is no scenario today that would require mobilization," describing the reports as an information attack ahead of the elections. Dmitry Peskov earlier dismissed them as "canards," and Dmitry Medvedev as "drivel." State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrei Kartapolov insisted no new wave was needed. In September 2022, officials denied mobilization preparations days before the decree.
What is established: Sberbank begins its full audit on September 10 and is pre-identifying deferment-eligible staff; several categories are excluded; the bank has never held such a meeting before; other large employers are compiling deferment lists; the military is testing infrastructure for mass conscription; and contract recruitment rates are falling. What is unknown: whether a political decision on a new wave has been made, and its scale and timing. No direct evidence of such a decision exists in the public sphere—only a steady reduction of costs in case one is made.
State Duma elections are set for September 18–20. Sberbank's audit begins eight days before.