Legitimacy of Conscription in Russia: How Do Young Russians Justify Their Refusal to Perform Military Service?

The simultaneous preservation of the conscription system in Russia, the avoidance of conscript service by young men and the relatively tolerant attitude of the population towards their refusal signal the ambivalence of the social contract in the context of the obligation to do military service upon conscription. This study examines how, within the framework of the ambivalence of the social contract regarding the obligation to perform compulsory military service, young men justify their avoidance of this experience in the context of civil rights and obligations. To answer the question posed, discrepancies were identified between the normative expectations within the framework of the social contract in the context of conscript military service and the ideas of young men about the actual experience of military service, which made it possible to get closer to understanding the justifications of their refusal to perform military service upon conscription and to the perception of the legitimacy of the conscription system. The empirical part of the study is based on 15 semi-structured interviews with young men who avoided conscription using different strategies: both formal and informal. Those interviews were analyzed utilizing the grounded theory framework. In analyzing the justifications of the refusal, and the avoidance strategies and resources they involve, we offer an explanation of how those young men who avoid military service fit into the conscription system and contribute to the reproduction of the uneven military burden among population.