Russia will strengthen the military forces with a new bill on the age of conscription

News

Ukraine war

by Matthew Sedaka

March 18, 2023 | 4:33 p.m

Russia is preparing to raise the age of men eligible to be drafted for military service, a sign that Moscow likely expects the war in Ukraine to continue.

Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrei Kartapolov Submit a bill This week would change the eligible age range for draft, raising the range to ages 21 to 30, from the current range of 18 to 27.

However, the bill provides for two transitional years in which the minimum age will gradually rise, meaning the new age range will not be in effect until 2025.

This meant that over the next two years, more men could be called up for service.

Critics of the new legislation have criticized the law as a ploy to increase the number of men eligible to join the army and compensate for Russia’s losses in Ukraine. The Moscow Times reported.

UK Ministry of Defense said In its daily intelligence update The bill will likely pass and go into effect in January.

The ministry noted that Russia has prevented conscripts from serving in its military operations in Ukraine, but estimated that at least hundreds were likely deployed through administrative errors or by being forced to sign contracts.

The Defense Department said the increase in recruits could also help free up a number of professional soldiers stationed elsewhere who could fight in the war.

The bill comes just months after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed boosting Russia’s military from 1.15 million to 1.5 million, a move backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin ordered a partial mobilization in September of at least 300,000 reservists to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine, though the decree sparked mass protests in Russia and caused hundreds of thousands of men of fighting age to flee the country.

The Ukrainian battlefields were harsh for the Russian soldiers.

Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed Saturday That since Russia began its invasion on February 24, 2022, it has “liquidated” no less than 164,200 soldiers.

Western intelligence sources estimate that each side has suffered approximately 150,000 casualties, including dead and wounded, since the beginning of the war.

Last Sunday alone, Kiev said 1,090 Russian fighters were killed.

with wire