Russian President Vladimir Putin has called up 160,000 men aged 18 to 30 as the country moves to expand its armed forces.
The BBC reports this marks Russia’s largest conscription drive since 2011.
The move follows Putin’s announcement last year that Russia needed to increase its total military personnel to 2.39 million, including 1.5 million active combat troops.
Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky has stated that the new conscripts won’t be deployed to Ukraine, where Russia continues what it terms its “special military operation”.
This spring draft, running from April through July, comes amid ongoing US efforts to broker a ceasefire in the conflict.
While Russia typically conducts conscription drives each spring and autumn, the current call-up of 160,000 represents an increase of 10,000 compared to the same period in 2024.
Since last year, Russia has expanded its conscription pool by raising the maximum draft age from 27 to 30.
