President Putin Orders Russia’s Largest Military Call-Up In 10 Years, To Enlist 160,000 Troops
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 160,000 more troops into the military service.
According to the order, the conscription applies to all citizens aged between 18 and 30. The conscription is the largest since 2011.
The decree was reported by news agency Interfax and also published on the government website for legal announcements, according to Kyiv Independent.
The official statement also said that “soldiers, sailors, sergeants and non-commissioned officers whose conscripted military service has expired” will be discharged from military service.
The Russian military traditionally holds conscription twice a year, once in spring and again in autumn.
The autumn conscription, which ran from October to December last year, resulted in 133,000 recruits being sent to the army for a year of military service.
Last January, Putin signed a law raising the maximum age for conscription from 27 to 30.
Russian media have reported that, as of December 2024, staffing in Russia’s armed forces has increased to nearly 2.4 million, comprising 1.5 million military personnel.
This development comes amid a crisis with Ukraine.
This development comes after Russia condemned the potential deployment of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, warned on Thursday that such a move could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. She also accused London and Paris of plotting a “military intervention in Ukraine” disguised as a peacekeeping operation.
These remarks came as France hosted a summit in Paris with leaders from nearly 30 countries, as well as NATO and EU officials, to discuss bolstering support for Ukraine. The summit followed a similar meeting in Britain, where military leaders gathered to plan the next steps for the coalition’s efforts.
Key topics at the summit included proposals to deploy European troops to Ukraine in conjunction with any potential peace agreement, forming what is being called a “Coalition of the Willing.”
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the gathering, which focused on securing long-term peace and providing military aid to Kyiv.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the European leaders, emphasising, “Europe knows how to defend itself. We must prove it,” as the allies deliberated on strengthening Ukraine’s position in its push for a ceasefire with Russia.
In line with these efforts, the programme aims to lay the foundation for long-term security guarantees and transform Ukraine’s military into the primary defence against future Russian aggression.
With Russia’s full-scale invasion now in its fourth year, France and the United Kingdom are leading the charge to form a coalition of countries willing to deploy European armed forces to Ukraine, hoping to deter any further hostility.
