Moscow [Russia], September 30: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree ordering the conscription of 135,000 men for military service, the official government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on Monday.
Men aged 18 to 30 are to be drafted between October 1 and December 31.
The conscripts can only be deployed to fight in Ukraine after completing one year of mandatory service. They would then have to sign a separate contract for the active combat duty.
Russia carries out two draft cycles each year, in spring and autumn.
This spring saw a record intake of 160,000 new soldiers.
A bill now before parliament would allow recruitment and medical examination offices to operate year-round, although conscription periods would still officially run from April 1 to July 15 and from October 1 to December 31.
Since launching its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has expanded the size of its armed forces. A year ago, Putin ordered the official strength of the military raised to 2.4 million personnel, including 1.5 million soldiers.
Source: Qatar Tribune
