Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the planned spring conscription campaign, conscripting 150,000 citizens into military service, according to a document published on the Kremlin’s website with reference to Sky News.

All men in Russia must complete one year of military service or equivalent training during higher education from the age of 18.

In July, the lower house of the Russian parliament voted to raise the maximum age of enlistment for men from 27 to 30.

The new legislation entered into force on January 1 of this year.

In Russia, many men go to great lengths to avoid receiving draft papers during the bi-annual conscription.

Recruits cannot legally be sent to fight outside Russia and were exempted from a limited mobilization in 2022 that brought at least 300,000 men who had undergone military training to fight in Ukraine, although some recruits were sent to the front by mistake.

In September, Putin signed an order to draft 130,000 people for the autumn campaign, and last spring Russia planned to draft 147,000 people.