Understanding Russias Recent Military Draft: Implications Amid Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine

Russia has initiated its spring conscription for 160,000 servicemen, which represents a rise from earlier recruitment numbers amidst its ongoing conflict with Ukraine and diplomatic conversations with the United States.

Both the Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense assert that these new conscripts will not be sent into combat, claiming that the draft is separate from the situation in Ukraine. However, with the war extending into its fourth year, skepticism about the Kremlin’s assurances remains prevalent.

The Moscow Times examines the spring military draft:

### Conscription

Russia typically conducts two conscription cycles each year in the spring and fall, targeting men aged 18-30. This year’s spring draft is set to take place from April 1 to July 15.

A decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced the recruitment of 160,000 men this spring, which is an increase from 150,000 in 2024 and 134,500 in 2022—the year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Additionally, the upper age limit has been raised from 27 in 2023, broadening the base of those eligible for conscription.

Starting from April 1, 2025, Russia will also implement a digital system for delivering draft notices, which will be sent across the country. This change aims to make it more difficult for individuals eligible for conscription to evade military service, as previously, summons needed to be delivered in person.

With the new electronic registry, a draft notice is automatically considered delivered one week after its issuance. Consequently, the conscript is prohibited from leaving the country. If he does not report to the enlistment office within 20 days, he will face legal penalties that may include a ban on driving and restrictions on obtaining loans or buying and selling property.

Men can opt for alternative civilian service instead of mandatory military service, which involves full-time work. This option may be granted for various reasons, including conflicting beliefs or religious views, or if the individual belongs to an indigenous minority.

### Strengthening the Military

Although the Ministry of Defense asserts that the biannual conscription is not connected to the Ukraine conflict, Russia has intensified its efforts to recruit professional contract soldiers, offering competitive salaries. In some cases, draftees may be convinced to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry upon being drafted.

Prior to April 2023, Russian law restricted men from signing military contracts right after high school; they were required to either serve as conscripts for a minimum of three months or complete their technical or higher education first.

However, amendments approved by the State Duma that year now permit 18-year-olds to enter into contracts immediately after finishing high school. These new recruits can be sent to the front lines just four weeks after enlisting. Under a presidential order, those who sign military contracts cannot cancel their agreements and must remain deployed until the end of the conflict in Ukraine.

In a broader strategy, Putin last year mandated an expansion of Russia’s active-duty military to 1.5 million personnel, representing an increase of roughly 180,000 troops.

Speculation about a second round of “partial” mobilization for the Ukraine war, similar to that enacted in September 2022, has not materialized, as it carries significant political risks.

### Conscription and the Ukraine War

Despite Putin’s early assurances that conscripts would not be sent into battle, open-source data compiled by BBC Russian indicates that at least 159 Russian draftees have died since the invasion began.

Initially, conscripts were part of several frontline Russian units. By March 2022, the Defense Ministry acknowledged that conscripts had indeed been deployed. Following an investigation by the military prosecutor’s office, it was confirmed that at least 600 conscripts were sent to Ukraine.

Further confirmation of conscripts being engaged in combat was noted when the missile cruiser Moskva sank in April 2022, with draftees aboard while operating in Russian territorial waters.

As evidenced by the sinking of the Moskva, while the Russian military does not officially send conscripts to engage directly in combat, these servicemen can be assigned to secure border positions in Russia and occupied Crimea.

When Kyiv launched an incursion into Russia’s southwestern Kursk region in August 2024, at least 25 Russian conscripts lost their lives, according to the independent media outlet Vyorstka.

The average age of those who died was 20, hailing from 18 different Russian regions, including southern areas like Rostov and Krasnodar, as well as the republic of Bashkortostan and the Altai region, along with the northern Vologda region.