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Russia Boosts Military Ranks with Largest Conscription Since 2011
Moscow is expanding its armed forces, with President Vladimir Putin ordering the mobilization of 160,000 individuals aged 18 to 30 for conscription. This recruitment drive represents Russia’s most substantial intake of conscripts since 2011, occurring amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions and military actions.
Expanded Military Size
Increase in Personnel
The spring conscription initiative, mandating a year of military service, follows President Putin’s recent pronouncements regarding the necessity to augment Russia’s overall military strength to approximately 2.39 million personnel. Furthermore, the plan aims to elevate the number of active servicemen to 1.5 million.
Growth Over Three Years
This strategic objective signifies an increase of 180,000 military personnel over the forthcoming three years, reflecting Russia’s commitment to bolstering its defense capabilities.
Conscripts and the Ukraine Conflict
Assurances on Deployment
Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky stated that the newly conscripted individuals would not be deployed to participate in what Russia terms its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Reports of Conscript Involvement
However, despite these assurances, reports have surfaced indicating instances of conscripts being killed in combat within Russia’s border regions. Moreover, conscripts were reportedly deployed to Ukraine in the initial phases of the full-scale conflict.
Conscription Amidst Geopolitical Tensions
Current Draft Amid Ceasefire Efforts
The present conscription period, spanning from April to July, is taking place against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic endeavors by the United States to broker a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
Continued Hostilities
Regrettably, the violence has persisted. Ukraine reported a Russian attack on a power plant in Kherson, a southern city, which resulted in 45,000 residents losing electricity on Tuesday.
Territorial Claims
Russia also asserted that its forces had seized another Ukrainian village, Rozlyiv, situated in the Donetsk region.
Conscription Numbers and Age Expansion
Increased Draft Numbers
Russia traditionally conducts conscription drives in both spring and autumn. This spring’s recruitment of 160,000 young men exceeds the figures from the same period in 2024 by 10,000 individuals.
Expanded Age Range
Since the beginning of the preceding year, the pool of eligible young men for conscription has broadened due to the raising of the upper age limit from 27 to 30 years old.
Notification Methods
Beyond traditional postal delivery of call-up notices, young men will also receive notifications through the state services website, Gosuslugi.
Beyond Conscription
Contract Soldiers and International Recruitment
In addition to the bi-annual conscription, Russia has also mobilized substantial numbers of men as contract soldiers and has reportedly recruited thousands of soldiers from North Korea.
Addressing Military Losses
Moscow’s actions are seen as a response to significant battlefield casualties in Ukraine. Independent investigations by the BBC and Mediazona have verified the deaths of over 100,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
Potential Higher Casualties
The actual number of fatalities is believed to be potentially more than double the verified figure, suggesting a profound impact of the conflict on Russian military personnel.
Military Expansion and NATO
Escalation of Military Size
President Putin has authorized increases to the size of the Russian military on three occasions since initiating the military intervention in Ukraine in February 2022.
Justification for Expansion
Russia’s defense ministry attributed the December 2023 military expansion to “growing threats” stemming from both the conflict in Ukraine and the “ongoing expansion of NATO.”
NATO Expansion and Finland
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has expanded its membership to include Finland and Sweden, a direct consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finnish Border and Ottawa Convention
Finland, sharing NATO’s longest border with Russia at 1,343km (834 miles), announced through Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Tuesday its intention to join other nations bordering Russia in withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits anti-personnel mines.
Regional Security Measures
Similar Decisions by Neighbors
Poland and the Baltic states had adopted comparable decisions two weeks prior, citing the perceived military threat emanating from Russia as the rationale.
Finnish Rationale and Public Reassurance
Prime Minister Orpo stated that Finland’s decision to resume the use of anti-personnel mines was based on military recommendations and assured the Finnish populace that there was no cause for alarm.
Increased Defense Spending
The Finnish government in Helsinki further declared an increase in defense expenditure to 3% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), up from 2.4% in the preceding year, signaling a commitment to enhanced national security.