Russia raises conscription age to increase dwindling forces in Ukraine

The Russian State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, voted on July 25 to raise the maximum age of conscription from 27 to 30, according to the state news agency TASS.

The law, which will go into effect on January 1, 2024, increases the pool of citizens required to serve a compulsory year of military service.

The law also bans conscripts from leaving the country once they receive their draft notice.  

In March of 2023, the UK Defense Ministry reported that Duma Defense Committee Chair Andrey Kartapolov suggested the age extension in order to increase Russia's forces without resorting to forced mobilization.

Russia calls conscripts up twice a year for mandatory military service. The new law, co-authored by Kartapolov, is expected to add 2.4 million men to Russia's conscription base.

Kartapolov told Russia's Interfax news agency that "the demographic situation is serious," requiring an immediate raise to the age limit rather than a gradual one.

According to Ukraine's Armed Forces, 243,680 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko