Putin signs a decree adding 150,000 new troops to the Russian Armed Forces

It’s no secret that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken a toll on the Russian population. However, the war machine never stops and it’s hungry for fresh meat.

Russian state agency TASS reports that Russian president Vladimir Putin has approved beginning a spring conscription campaign.

According to Reuters, the decree would add 150,000 Russian citizens to serve their mandatory military service.

German state news agency DW cites Statista’s claim that the Russian Armed Forces has around 1.32 million active personnel and two million reservists.

Russian law states that all men between the ages of 18 and 30 must serve one year in the Armed Forces or receive an equivalent training in higher education institutions.

The realities of Russia’s war in Ukraine have also affected the national military service, forcing the Kremlin to raise the maximum age from 27 to 30 in 2023.

However, TASS highlights that Putin’s decree exempts Russian men who turned 27 before January 1, 2024.

Image: richardworks / Unsplash

TASS also reports that soldiers, sailors, sergeants, and petty officers conscripted in the spring of 2023 have been relieved from their posts.

NBC News explains that the national conscription remains a sensitive issue in Russian society, with the war in Ukraine making things worse.

Young Russian men go to great lengths to avoid receiving conscription papers during the semiannual call to show up for their national service.

Reuters highlights that, back in September 2023, the autumn conscription campaign called up to 130,000 men to show up for the Armed Forces.

And six months before that, the previous spring conscription planned to conscript 147,000 Russians for their mandatory military service.

However, as DW writes, the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has assured that these conscripts won’t be deployed to fight outside Russia’s borders.

Men serving their mandatory military service were exempted to a mobilization call by the Kremlin in 2022, which managed to gather 300,000 new troops to fight in Ukraine.

However, during the confusing early months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine some conscripts were allegedly sent by accident to fight in the front.

DW points out that men who have finished their mandatory military service can also volunteer to fight on the Ukrainian frontline, with many pressured to sign up.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.