Russia’s military will enlist 130,000 young men for compulsory service this fall, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Combined with the 147,000 men drafted during the spring draft, Russia’s Defense Ministry will field 277,000 conscripts in 2023.
From Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, Russia’s military will be allowed to call up men aged 18-27 for their 12-month training period.
Putin last month raised the upper age limit for military conscription to 30 starting in January 2024.
Another law recently signed by Putin bans draftees from leaving the country, fueling speculation the Kremlin may be eyeing a second wave of mobilization.
The deputy head of the Russian General Staff’s mobilization department, Rear Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, said earlier Friday that no conscripts would be sent to fight in Ukraine.
A “partial” mobilization in September 2022 saw the recruitment of some 300,000 reservists for the war in Ukraine and sparked mass raids and a historic exodus of Russians abroad.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, with Putin’s backing, is seeking to increase Russia’s combat personnel from 1.15 million to 1.5 million.
