Russia is facing a growing crisis on its campuses, with reports suggesting students at major universities are being pushed towards military service amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Students at Bauman Moscow State Technical University and St Petersburg State Technical University say they are being encouraged to sign military contracts instead of continuing their studies.

According to students speaking anonymously to independent news outlet Astra, university authorities are tightening exam deadlines and reducing the time allowed to clear academic debts. Those who fail risk expulsion unless they opt to enlist.

One student told Astra: “We are not given academic leave, we are not allowed to transfer to another university, and exams have been tightened. The rector’s office does its best to send its students to serve under contract.

“The Dean’s office has shortened the deadline for debt repayment, whereas previously 1-3 months were allocated for this, now they have given a little less than two weeks, most likely in order for as many people as possible to leave for the commission. If the commission is not passed, you should be expelled.”

One student said lecturers are actively promoting military service, particularly to those struggling academically, suggesting that serving in the armed forces could save their place at university. Another told Astra that staff are holding recruitment campaigns in lecture halls.

Critics say the moves amount to pressure on young people to go to war in place of pursuing education, at a time when many Russians are weary of the long conflict.

It comes amid recent but rare clashes between Russia’s youth and the Moscow regime, as frustration grows over the war in Ukraine. Last year in St Petersburg, 18-year-old singer Diana Loginova, known as Naoko, was arrested after performing anti-war songs with her street band, Stoptime. The group had gained attention online for singing tracks by exiled Russian artists critical of the Kremlin.

Loginova was detained several times in what rights groups call carousel arrests, where activists are repeatedly re-arrested on minor charges. She faced jail terms for allegedly organising an unlawful gathering and for “discrediting” the armed forces.

Her bandmates, including guitarist Alexander Orlov and drummer Vladislav Leontyev, were also jailed. The crackdown highlights Putin’s growing effort to silence dissent, even young and peaceful.