Russia raises upper conscription age to 30 from 27, keeps lower limit at 18

Russia has raised the maximum conscription age for compulsory military service to 30 from 27, but has kept the lower limit to 18. This move will now increase the number of young men who will be taking up compulsory military service of one-year. The decision comes after lawmakers dismissed a proposal to raise the starting age for military service to 21, which was at 18 before as well.

State Duma Defence Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov told media personnel on Friday that the conscription age bracket now will be from 18 to 30 years."The key amendment is that the upper age ceiling [in the conscription age bracket] will be set at 30 years old, while the decision was made to leave the lower age limit at 18, as there are many young people who would like to enlist for military service at the age of 18, and that opportunity is currently available to them," the senior Russian lawmaker said during the second reading of the bill in the lower house of Russia’s parliament, reported Moscow Times.

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During the first reading last month, the bill sought to raise the lower age limit for men to be called up for compulsory military service from 18 to 21 years old. However, it was kept to 18 years after the second reading.

These new rules will come into effect on 1st January 2024 if the bill is enacted into law. Media reports quoting Kartapolovalso said that the changes will not have any impact on new troops who will be called up this fall.

Timeline of the bill

In March, the bill was submitted by a coalition of lawmakers led by Kartapolov. Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliamentpassed the bill in the first reading at the time.

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The bill, in its original shape, had proposed a phased increase in the compulsory conscription age bracket. As per that, the bill first sought to keep the bracket at 19-30 years old in 2024, then to 20-30 years old in 2025, and then to 21-30 years old in 2026.

Duration ofcompulsory military service

Kartapolov, while speaking to media personnel, said that the time duration of compulsory military service in Russia will be kept at one year. He said there is no need for conscripts to serve for two years. "There is absolutely no need to serve for two years. Currently, in our country, a contemporary youth is capable of mastering any military specialization in six months maximum," he said.

At present, all men in Russia are obligated to serve in the military. Alternatively, they can undergo equivalent training while pursuing higher education.

Controversies surrounding military service

Military service has been a sensitive topic in Russia, leading many individuals to take extreme measures to evade conscription during the call-up periods.

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Concerns escalated when some conscripts were deployed to participate in Russia's war in Ukraine, despite prior assurances to the contrary.

Additionally, the unexpected mobilisation of 300,000 men for a "special military operation" last autumn further fueled public criticism and prompted numerous people to flee the country to avoid being sent to fight.

Russia's efforts to strengthen its military

To bolster its military capabilities, Russia announced plans to increase its professional and conscripted combat personnel by over 30% to reach a total of 1.5 million. However, the country faced challenges due to undisclosed casualties in the ongoing war.

In a move to make avoiding military service more difficult, legislation was passed in April allowing conscription papers to be served online. Furthermore, last Tuesday, Russian parliament extended the maximum age at which men who completed compulsory service can be mobilised. The age limit was raised to 55 for some junior ranks and up to 70 for the most senior officers.

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