War: Putin signs decree, enlists 134,500 young men into Russian army

Russia is conscripting 134,500 men between the ages of 18 and 27, according to a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The young men would be enlisted by mid-July. At the same time, the mandatory 12 months of military service for Russians is being scrapped. It was unclear how many conscripts would leave the army to join the reserves, NAN reports. The one-year stint of military service for men between 18 and 27 is a legal requirement in Russia. The Russian Minister of Defence, Sergei Shoigu, emphasized that new recruits would not be sent to hotspots a few days ago. Furthermore, this spring would see fewer men conscripted than the spring of 2021, when 134,650 men 150 more than this year were enlisted into the army. Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Around two weeks later, the government admitted that conscripts were being sent into the fighting. Moscow said it had been unaware of this and promised to investigate these cases and punish those responsible.