On Thursday, the Russian Senate approved a legal amendment establishing the compulsory military service age between 18 and 30 years old.
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Previously, on Tuesday, the Lower House (Duma) raised the maximum age at which Russian citizens can be drafted for military service from 27 to 30 years old. Initially, the Duma had raised the minimum age from 18 to 21 years old but later reversed its decision.
"The decision to maintain the minimum age at 18 years was made because there are many young men who want to serve in the military at that age," said Andrei Kartapolov, the president of the Duma's Defense and Security Committee.
However, the text approved in the first reading already included the possibility of voluntary military service from the age of 18.
The increase in the maximum age for compulsory military service was justified by the argument that it compensates for the reduction in the number of citizens who can be drafted.
At the end of 2022, Defense Minister Serguei Shoigu proposed raising the military service age after thousands of men of military age left Russia following the mobilization decreed by President Vladimir Putin in September 2022.
In January, Shoigu also proposed increasing the number of Armed Forces personnel to 1.5 million by 2026 and raising the number of professional soldiers to 695,000.
Furthermore, two new military districts will be created - the Moscow and Leningrad districts, along with an Army Corps in the Karelia Republic, bordering Finland. Additionally, new military corps will be formed in the regions of Jerson, Zaporiyia, Donetsk, and Lugansk.