Russian lawmakers have introduced a new bill proposing year-round conscription into the military, moving away from the current biannual draft system. The draft legislation has been published on the official portal for legislative activities.

An independent media outlet Meduza reports that the initiative comes from Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament) Defense Committee, and his first deputy, Andrei Krasov.

Under the existing law, military conscription in Russia takes place twice a year—from April 1 to July 15, and from October 1 to December 31. The proposed amendment would extend the conscription period to cover the entire calendar year, from January 1 to December 31.

According to the explanatory note accompanying the bill, medical evaluations, psychological screenings, and draft board meetings would be conducted year-round.  However, the actual deployment of conscripts to military service locations would continue to occur within the current statutory windows—April through July and October through December.

Kartapolov and Krasov argue that spreading the draft process across the year would ease pressure on recruitment centers and improve the overall quality of the conscription process.

The State Duma will not be able to vote on the proposed bill until the autumn session, as the final plenary meeting of the current spring session is scheduled for July 23.