Putin Launches Largest Russian Military Draft in Over a Decade
President Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 160,000 men aged 18–30—Russia’s highest spring draft since 2011—as part of a broader effort to expand its military forces.
Russia has begun its largest military draft in more than a decade, calling up 160,000 men between the ages of 18 and 30 for a year of compulsory service. This spring conscription, which runs from April through July, marks a 10,000-person increase over the same period in 2024. It follows President Vladimir Putin’s announcement to grow Russia’s armed forces to nearly 2.39 million personnel, including 1.5 million active servicemen, over the next three years.
Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky assured that new conscripts would not be deployed to fight in Ukraine, which the Kremlin still refers to as a “special military operation.” However, reports suggest conscripts have previously been involved in combat operations near the Ukrainian border and were deployed to Ukraine during the early months of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Despite ongoing U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire, hostilities continue. On Tuesday, Ukrainian officials reported a Russian strike on a power facility in Kherson, leaving 45,000 people without electricity. Russia, which had previously claimed it would halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, said Ukrainian drone attacks left no clear ceasefire window.
Russia traditionally holds military drafts in spring and autumn. This latest round comes after the maximum draft age was raised from 27 to 30 in 2023, expanding the pool of eligible recruits. In addition to paper notices, conscripts are now being notified through digital platforms like Gosuslugi and local city portals such as mos.ru, where Moscow residents began receiving call-up messages on April 1.
Many young Russians are seeking to avoid military service through “alternative civilian service,” but human rights lawyer Timofey Vaskin warned that every new draft since the start of the war has felt like a “lottery,” with authorities continuously finding new ways to replenish their ranks.
Beyond regular conscription, Russia has also significantly increased its contract soldier recruitment and has even enlisted foreign fighters, including thousands reportedly from North Korea. The move is seen as a response to the heavy toll in Ukraine—over 100,000 Russian soldiers have been confirmed dead by independent sources like the BBC and Mediazona, with actual figures possibly much higher.
Putin has expanded the Russian military three times since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In December 2023, the defence ministry cited “growing threats” from Ukraine and NATO’s expansion as justification for increasing troop numbers. Finland and Sweden have since joined NATO, with Finland now sharing the alliance’s longest border with Russia at 1,343 km (834 miles).
On Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced his country would exit the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, joining Poland and the Baltic states in response to heightened threats from Moscow. Finland also revealed plans to boost defence spending to 3% of GDP—up from 2.4% the previous year—based on military recommendations.
As Russia pushes forward with military expansion, the human cost of the war continues to rise, and tensions with NATO show no signs of easing.
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