Russia sends over 140,000 citizens to mandatory military service

The Russian General Staff announced that more than 140,000 Russians were sent for mandatory military service between April and July during the spring recruitment campaign. Colonel General Evgeny Bordinsky, head of the Main Directorate for Organization and Mobilization, stated that the transport of new recruits involved approximately 140 civilian flights, 22 military flights, 13 military trains, and various passenger and unit-specific transport vehicles.

Under recent legislative changes that took effect in January 2024, the conscription age in Russia has been raised to a range of 18 to 30 years. The mandatory service period lasts for 12 months. Russian authorities maintain that conscripts are utilized for training and guarding bases within the country's stable administrative borders and are not mandatorily deployed to foreign combat operations or special military operations; those roles are typically filled by professional contract soldiers.