The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has signed a new decree ordering the recruitment of 160,000 young people into the army. The recruitment campaign will begin in April and will last until June. Men between the ages of 18 and 30 are targeted. This is the largest number of recruits in the past 14 years, noted Novaia Gazeta.
For comparison, here is the evolution of the number of recruits in previous years:
In 2022 – the year in which Russia began the large-scale invasion in Ukraine – 134.5 thousand people were recruited in the spring and 120 thousand in the autumn. • In 2023, the number of recruits increased to 147 thousand in the spring and 130 thousand in the autumn. • In 2024, the army has already enrolled 150 thousand young people in the spring and 133 thousand in the autumn.
The last time Russia called this many young people into the army was in 2011, when over 200,000 people were drafted. Russia organizes two such campaigns each year – one in the spring and one in the fall. Military service is mandatory and lasts for one year.We would like to mention that the Russian government has implemented a series of measures in the past three years of war to streamline the recruiting process, making it easier for young people, including those who have previously avoided military service. Although Russian recruits are usually not sent into active combat, Moscow has relied on financial incentives and amnesties to recruit civilians for the war in Ukraine,Write Kyiv Independent.
After the unpopular mobilization in September 2022, which caused over 261,000 Russians to flee the country, Putin avoided a new wave of widespread recruitment, instead resorting to alternative methods to supplement the military personnel.