Massive Draft Expansion in Russia: 9 Million Men Targeted for Ukraine Conflict

Concerns arise about how to address the shortage within the Russian army. As of the onset of 2024, possibly up to 9 million men could be conscripted into military service, due to recent adjustments raising the conscription age to 30. The objective is to shift the tide of the war in Ukraine and triumph over the ongoing conflict in Kiev. The Russian Federation is anticipating a significant revolution in the front line by next spring.

Despite boasting a population of over 143 million inhabitants, the Russian army grapples with a scarcity of willing combatants. Divisions actively engaged in Ukraine are critically reduced because they incur heavy casualties and face a shortage of new recruits. Citizens refuse to fight and perish in a conflict triggered by their own nation.

With the glaring absence of volunteers and a war to win, the president has recently amended the laws governing military conscription. Draftee age limit has seen an increase of three years, extending it to 30. This implies the potential for mobilizing a higher number of people from the New Year's Day of 2024.

The figures are truly staggering, with the modification influencing 9.14 million young men.

By the close of November 2023, Russian military casualties have already surpassed 324,000 deaths.

Mostly, it's the rookie recruits who are inadequately trained and then sent to the front line that bear the brunt of death. "Meat assaults" are executed with the intention of debilitating Ukrainian forces and engaging them to a degree that enables the regular army to intervene and deal blows to the enemy.

Thus, the Russian Ministry of Defence is utilizing every possible method to locate individuals willing to enlist in the army. Prior strategies involved drafting convicts, indebted individuals, drug addicts, or those belonging to ethnic minorities residing in the nation's most destitute regions. However, eventually, there will be no alternative but to conscript young men from large cities, albeit only post-elections.

With the next term of Vladimir Putin's presidency on the horizon, we can expect to see a surge in military drafting this spring. The decision to increase the drafting age to 30 implies that the Ministry of Defence could potentially reach an additional 9.14 million young men, more than two million above the previous figure. Consequently, individuals aged between 18 to 30 might find themselves on the front line, subsequent to appropriate training, of course.