The Ministry of Labor has updated the list of professions for alternative civil service in Russia.
The list increased by nearly 100 jobs – from 271 to 363 professions. The number of organizations in which alternative service can be provided increased from 1,798 to 1,927.
Among the new professions, the list included, for example, the following: “diver,” “gas welder,” “fashion designer,” “forest firefighter,” “pianist and piano officer,” “turner,” “driller worker,” “electrician,” “zoologist,” “extractor,” and others.
Alternative Civilian Service (ACS) is work “for the benefit of society and the state” that a person performs in lieu of military conscription. It is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation to persons whose beliefs or religion conflict with military service. Some representatives of indigenous peoples are also entitled to it. In practice, military registration and enlistment offices often refuse conscripts to undergo the ACS for official reasons.
As of the end of 2025, there were 3,212 people serving in Russia’s alternative civil service, according to Vestka’s calculations. Compared to the previous year, this number increased by a third and became the highest number in at least the past 14 years.