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Russian Lawmakers on Tuesday backed a bill mandating military recruitment year-round instead of just in the spring and fall, as officials look to fill the ranks during fighting. ukraine Continues grinding till the fourth year.
Legislation, which was approved by the lower house State DumaIn the third and final reading of the measurement, recruitment is converted to a permanent process.
Once the bill is reviewed by the upper house and signed into law by the President Vladimir PutinThis will allow recruiting offices to call draftees for medical examinations and other procedures at any time of the year.
The bill’s authors say the measure is aimed at reducing pressure on military recruiting offices and streamlining their activities, including conducting physicals and assigning soldiers to different military branches.
Even though the bill would allow the recruitment process to continue throughout the year, it provides that soldiers will enter military service only during certain spring and summer months as before.
All Russian men aged 18–30 are currently obliged to serve in the military for one year, although many avoid the draft by using deferments granted to students, people with chronic illnesses, and other reasons.
The Army calls for between 130,000 and 160,000 draftees during each recruitment round.
Russian officials say the army does not use draftees in Ukraine, relying instead on volunteers and reservists who were mobilized for action. However, human rights activists and media reports state that the military tried to encourage or force many draftees to sign contracts as volunteers.
When Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Russia had an army of 1 million, but it has gradually increased its size as the fighting has progressed.
Last year, Putin ordered the number of active troops to be increased by 180,000 to 1.5 million. He said last month that more than 700,000 Army soldiers were fighting in Ukraine.
As part of their efforts to combat draft evasion, authorities earlier this year launched an electronic register of conscripts to send online summonses in some Russian regions. He also introduced a series of legal sanctions for those who ignore the subpoenas, including freezing their bank transactions, suspending their driver’s licenses, and barring foreign travel.
Amid Russian military setbacks at the start of the fighting, Putin ordered a “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reservists in late 2022, a widely unpopular move that prompted hundreds of thousands to flee abroad to avoid being called up for service.
While Putin’s order left the door open to calling up more reservists kremlin changed its stance and focused on strengthening its army with volunteers, who were offered relatively high salaries and other benefits.
About 440,000 volunteers joined in 2024 and another 336,000 signed military contracts this year, officials said.
The Kremlin’s efforts to swell the ranks come as Putin opposes US President Donald Trump’s demand for a quick ceasefire and maintains the Kremlin’s maximalist demands, including Ukraine’s withdrawal from four regions that Russia has annexed but never fully annexed. Kiev and its Western allies have rejected Putin’s demands.