Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to enlist 160,000 Russian citizens aged 18 to 30 for a mandatory 12-month military service. This recruitment drive, scheduled between April 1 and July 15, 2025, surpasses last year's call-up by 10,000 and the previous autumn’s enlistment by 27,000.
As of January 1, 2024, the maximum age for compulsory military service was raised from 27 to 30, following a proposal by then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. This measure was implemented after hundreds of thousands of military-age men left Russia in response to the mass mobilization Putin decreed in September 2022 to reinforce troops in Ukraine.
Russian authorities insist that these new recruits will not be deployed to the "special military operation" in Ukraine. However, similar promises have been broken in the past, and at least 25 conscripts have died in combat in the Kursk region since August 2024. Additionally, human rights organizations report that many conscripts are pressured into signing professional contracts with the Armed Forces, leading to their deployment on the front lines.
This increase in recruitment comes as Russia seeks to strengthen its military forces. In September 2024, Putin ordered an expansion of the armed forces by an additional 180,000 personnel, bringing the total military strength to 1.5 million soldiers.
These actions contrast with ongoing peace talks, suggesting that Russia continues to prepare for prolonged conflict scenarios. The international community closely watches these developments, assessing their impact on regional stability and diplomatic negotiations.