Putin raises the age limit for reservists to increase the number of troops

Vladimir Putin lit a candle in St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral near St. Petersburg Photo: ALEXANDER DEMYANCHUK/AFP an obvious attempt to increase the number of troops for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

New law signed by the president om Russia, means that high-ranking officers will be eligible to be mobilized up to 55 years old, compared to 50 previously, and privates and sergeants can be called up to 40 years old, compared to 35.

The lower age limit for mid-level officers will be raised to 50 years old, from 45 earlier.

Changes that will be gradually implemented over a four-year period from 2024 to 2028 year, mean that under the law, high-ranking officers will eventually be able to serve up to 70 years.

According to Russian law, anyone who has previously served in the army or is currently in the country's reserves will be the first candidate for conscription in the event of mobilization or a declaration of war by Moscow.

Russia has refrained from formally declaring war on Ukraine despite launching a full-scale invasion of the neighboring country last February. Instead, he has repeatedly portrayed his offensive both at home and abroad as a «special military operation».

Expand the reserve of recruits

Putin's move to increase the age limit at which reservists can initially be called up would make it much easier for the Russian military to expand the reserve of recruits in the event that the Kremlin announces a new wave of mobilization.

Putin's amendments are part of a legislative initiative to close loopholes that make it relatively easy for Russians to evade the draft. On Tuesday, the Russian Parliament is expected to adopt a bill providing for an increase in fines for refusing to appear at the military enlistment office after receiving draft sheets.

Russian recruitment in St. Petersburg for the parade in honor of the Day of the Russian Navy Photo: ANATOLY M ALZEV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The current meager £4 equivalent fine is expected to rise to £250. Russians will also have to pay a fine for not notifying the military enlistment office of a change of address or their contact details.

In April, Russia passed a law that imposed a travel ban on anyone who was drafted but did not show up to the military registration and enlistment office.

Government officials said that a database that combines the files of draftees from the military registration and enlistment offices with data available to border guards will make it impossible to legally leave the country after the draft sheets are handed over. The system is expected to go live in the summer.‌

Last September, Moscow ordered a «partial mobilization» of 300,000 reservists, prompting hundreds of thousands more to flee Russia to avoid being sent to fight.

A Russian NGO that helps reservists evade drafts described the latest amendments as potentially laying the groundwork for a new mobilization targeting an older cohort of potential military personnel.

“We must conclude that lawmakers are expanding the potential pool of labor that could be called upon in the event of a likely mobilization,” Head to the Woods said in a statement.