The Kremlin wants to increase the draft age of Russians liable for military service. For this, even a draft law was submitted to the State Duma.

The Russian bill proposes to change the age category of conscription for military service for men. Instead of 18-27 years old, they want to mobilize from 21 to 30 years old.

British intelligence notes that, most likely, the law will come into force as early as January 2024.

What intelligence says about mobilization in Russia

The Russian authorities are likely preparing to facilitate wider conscription to meet their military needs, intelligence said.

The British Ministry of Defense also recalls that since the days of the Soviet Union, Moscow has carried out conscriptions for military service twice a year. These are distinct from the newly introduced “participatory mobilization” of veterans since September 2022.

“Although formally Russia still bans conscripts from participating in hostilities in Ukraine, and at least hundreds of people were probably forced into the war or forced to sign a contract,” British intelligence officials say.

They also explain that many Russians between the ages of 18 and 21 apply for draft exemptions because of their university studies.

The authorities are likely changing the age limits to increase the size of the troops, ensuring that students will eventually be forced to serve, the British Ministry of Defense said.

They also added that even if the Kremlin continues to refrain from recruiting conscripts in the war, the additional conscripts will release most of the professional soldiers to participate in hostilities.

Partial mobilization in Russia

• In September 2022, Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization in Russia. Since then, it has not been officially stopped, although such statements have been made by officials.
• Literally on March 15, the Kremlin announced that a new wave of mobilization in Russia was allegedly “not discussed.” The mouthpiece of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, said that the distribution of subpoenas is already being called “common practice.” Like, this concerns updating the database, its clarification.
• Although it is already known that Vladimir Putin, due to a shortage of manpower, plans to recruit another 400,000 contract soldiers into the army. That is why, from April 1, 2023, the second wave of recruitment of contract soldiers into the army will begin on the territory of Russia. Read more about Putin's new cynical plans against the backdrop of huge losses in Ukraine – read here.