Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree calling for the conscription of 160,000 men for mandatory military service, the largest spring draft in 14 years, according to state-run media TASS.
Spring Draft to Mobilize Men Aged 18 to 30
Men aged 18 to 30 will be drafted for service from April 1 to June 15, the decree states. The order also involves the dismissal of conscripts whose period of service has expired. Russia organizes twice-yearly draft campaigns in spring and autumn, with those meeting the criteria expected to serve for one year.
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Largest Draft Since 2011
The previous record for such high draft numbers was in 2011, when 203,000 people were called up, The Moscow Times reports. During 2024, Russia called up 150,000 soldiers in the spring and 133,000 in the autumn.
Government Clamps Down on Draft Rules
In an effort to simplify the conscription process, the Russian government has come up with new policies that facilitate easy enlistment of young men, including those previously evading the draft. Conscription continues to be a divisive subject, with numerous men trying to evade draft summonses during the twice-yearly recruitment drives.
Conscrpts Not Officially Deployed Outside Russia
According to Russian law, conscripts are not allowed to be sent abroad. They were also not included in the 2022 partial mobilization, where at least 300,000 reservists with previous military service were called up for the conflict in Ukraine. There are, however, reports that some of the conscripts were inadvertently deployed to the front.
