The issue of Draft deferments is not new and unfortunatly it is one of the reasons there are many non-religous people and people against gedolim
In the Alter Heim there was a mandatory draft for jews and it was based on communities rather than people. Each community had to give a certain number of young jewish boys to the Russian Army or else.
What wound up happening is boys without Proteskzia mainly poor orphans were the ones going, the Rich were able to pay a fee not to draft their sons and the Yeshiva Bochrim also got deferments . The Poor Orphans had noone to protect them and they were forced to go