Every day since the start of the large-scale Russian war against Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense publishes its assessment of the course of the ongoing conflict. Including today, July 31, which is about the protection of the Russian population in the Ukrainian war.
Via Twitter the British Ministry of Defense writes: “The Russian authorities want to change the laws as a matter of priority so that more men can be quickly drafted into the military. In mid-July 2023, the State Duma raised the maximum age for conscription from 27 to 30, but retained the current lower limit of 18. While conscripts are not currently deployed to Ukraine, the additional conscripts will free up professional and mobilization soldiers for other duties within Russia.”
London continues: “On July 24, 2023, President Putin signed a law gradually raising the age limit for enlistment as a reservist: Senior officers can now be mobilized up to age 70. Reservists were called up for “partial mobilization” in the fall of 2022 and could immediately increase the number of soldiers available for combat in Ukraine. The increased likelihood of being forced to fight, the drone attacks on Moscow, the extraordinary level of domestic repression, and the recent mutiny at the Wagners make it clear that the Russian state is failing to insulate its population from the war.”
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (2022-12-14), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size edited)