Russia is conscripting 134,500 men between the ages of 18 and 27, according to a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported by several Russian news agencies.

The young men will be enlisted by mid-July.

At the same time, the mandatory 12 months of military service for Russians is being scrapped.

It is unclear how many conscripts will leave the army to join the reserves.

The one-year stint of military service for men between 18 and 27 is a legal requirement in Russia.

Conscription orders are given twice each year.

Sergei Shoigu, Russian Minister of Defence, had emphasised a few days ago that new recruits would not be sent to hotspots.

Furthermore, this spring will see fewer men conscripted than the spring of 2021, when 134,650 men, which is 150 more than this year, were enlisted into the army.

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24. Two weeks later, the government admitted that conscripts were being sent into the fighting. Putin’s regime said it had been unaware of this and promised to investigate these cases and punish those responsible. 

(dpa/NAN)