**Russia Calls Up 160,000 Young Men for Military Service**
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 160,000 men aged 18-30. This is the largest number of recruits since 2011. The spring draft will take place between April and July.
**Military Expansion**
Putin wants to increase the size of Russia’s military to almost 2.39 million and its active servicemen to 1.5 million. This would be a rise of 180,000 over three years. Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky said the new conscripts will not fight in Ukraine for what Russia calls its “special military operation”.
**Violence Continues**
Despite US efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, fighting continues in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Ukraine reported that a Russian attack on a power facility in Kherson left 45,000 people without electricity. Russia also claimed to have captured another Ukrainian village.
**Conscripts in Danger**
There have been reports of conscripts being killed in border regions and sent to fight in Ukraine. This has happened before, especially early in the war. The current draft is higher than last year’s by 10,000 young men.
**New Draft Procedures**
Young men will receive call-up notices by post and also on the state services website Gosuslugi. The maximum age for conscription has been raised from 27 to 30.
**Russia’s Military Efforts**
Moscow has called up large numbers of contract soldiers and recruited thousands from North Korea. This is due to extensive losses in Ukraine, with more than 100,000 verified soldier deaths. Russia’s defence ministry claims the military expansion is necessary due to growing threats from Ukraine and Nato.