Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, March 31st ordered 160,000 servicemen to be drafted by July 15th, a higher figure than previous conscription drives as Moscow seeks to boost its army’s size, AFP reported.
Russian men are eligible to be drafted for mandatory military service through bi-annual call-ups. The Kremlin and defence ministry say they are not sent into combat and the call-ups have nothing to do with the Ukraine conflict.
Putin last year ordered Russia to boost the size of its army to 1.5 million active servicemen—an increase of some 180,000 troops over three years.
Apart from its conscription drives, Russia has recruited hundreds of thousands of men for its offensive on Ukraine as paid contract soldiers, offering high salaries and massive sign-up bonuses.
Russia traditionally holds waves of conscription in spring and autumn, with men aged 18-30 eligible to be called up.
Despite pledging that conscripts would not be sent to the front, Russia drafted more than 300,000 “reservists” in 2022 for its Ukraine offensive in what it called a “partial mobilisation.”
That triggered hundreds of thousands of men to flee the country to avoid being called up.
The announcement on Monday comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is engaged in intensive negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv to try and achieve a ceasefire between the warring parties.
europeanconservative.com / AFP
