There is talk of peace, but Putin authorized the largest recruitment campaign in 14 years

Russia’s largest recruitment campaign since the 2011 spring calls 160,000 new recruits for the army this spring.

Peace negotiations in Ukraine take place in Riade, but despite a ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea, the end of the war still seems to be far away.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the order of calling 160 thousand new recruits for the armyunder the Kremlin Recruitment Biannual Campaign.

This is, according to the Russia’s largest recruitment campaign since spring 2011when the Ministry of Defense summoned about 203,000 men. Russia recruits military military twice a year, one in spring and one in the fall.

The mobilization occurs after Putin issued a decree in September last year to increase the Russian army in 180,000 soldiers, to set the number of military personnel in 1.5 million.

In 2021, 134,650 young people were recruited in spring and 127,500 in the fall. Already in 2022, the first year of the war in Ukraine, the numbers remained high, with 134,500 recruits in spring and 120,000 in the fall. The growth trend remained in 2023, with 147,000 men summoned in spring and 130,000 in the fall. By 2024, the numbers climbed again: 150,000 in spring and 133,000 in the fall.

The measure will have an effect between April and June 2025. According to the Russian legislation in force, all male citizens aged 18 to 30 are subject to compulsory military service.

Although Kremlin repeatedly stated that recruits are not sent to combat zones in Ukraine, international organizations and several independent observers have expressed concern about the transparency of the process and the potential widening of military obligations in Russia.