Putin expands military draft as Russia ups forces in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has signed a decree concerning the spring military draft, which will involve 150,000 young men. This is the largest spring draft since the start of Russia's large-scale aggression in Ukraine. Men aged 18 to 30 will be called up to serve.
The President of Russia has signed a decree for the spring military draft, which will begin on 1 April and last until 15 July. According to reports from the independent Russian portal Meduza, 150,000 young men will be called up for military service. This marks a significant increase compared to previous years.
According to the new regulations that took effect in Russia in 2023, citizens aged 18 to 30 will be conscripted for military service. This conscription represents the largest spring draft since the outset of Russia's comprehensive war with Ukraine.
In 2022, 134,500 people were conscripted, and a year later, the number rose to 147,000. By 2024, the number of conscripts reached 150,000, indicating a continuation of the process of expanding the size of the Russian army.
Russia organises another military draft
The portal "Meduza" notes that the increase in the number of conscripts results from Putin's decision to gradually expand the size of the army, prompted by the ongoing military aggression in Ukraine. At the beginning of 2022, the Russian army consisted of approximately one million soldiers, and currently, that number has grown to 1.5 million, illustrating the extent of Russia's military expansion plans.
Additionally, in February of this year, the Russian Ministry of Defence introduced substantial changes to the regulations concerning military medical examinations. The new rules significantly alter procedures, making it much more difficult to obtain an exemption from mandatory military service on health grounds.
The implementation of these changes aims to reduce the number of individuals who can avoid military service, which also aligns with the strategy of increasing the size of the armed forces.
