Were the serfs forced to fight in the army after the emancipation in Russia?

Answer 1

In theory, serfs were supposed to be protected by their lords. This might have meant that in theory, the serfs should not have got involved in wars. Another way of interpreting this theory was that the serfs were to be protected by organizing them for defense. But one way or the other, the serfs got involved in the wars, either as participants or as victims.

There is a link below to the section on serfs' duties in an article on serfdom. According to it, there is some debate on whether serfs could be legally required to fight in combat. My bet is that the laws varied depending on time and place, and that any rule protecting the serfs was bound to be broken as required by the lord.

Answer 2

Yes, they were. Being freed from the chains of serfdom did not make them free from government control and authority. The Russian army conscripted many peasant farmers, former serfs, into the army. The Bolshevik Soviets did the same thing during the Russian Civil War.