President Vladimir Putin signed an order on Thursday recruiting 134,500 new troops as part of Russia’s annual spring recruitment, but the Defense Ministry said the call had nothing to do with the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Russian recruitment after receiving the uniform in MoscowPhoto: Dream Time
The order was issued five weeks after the start of the Russian invasion. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that none of the invitees would be sent to the “hot spot”.
The issue of recruitment for war is very sensitive. On March 9, the Defense Ministry acknowledged that some had been sent to Ukraine, but that Putin had denied the allegations on several occasions, saying only professional soldiers and officials had been sent.
Putin’s spokesman said at the time that the president had ordered military prosecutors to investigate and punish officials responsible for violating his instructions to expel recruits.
The annual spring military recruitment, which takes place between April 1 and July 15, will affect Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27, according to Putin’s decree.
Shoaib said on Tuesday that the invitees would be sent to the sites allotted to them by the end of May. “Most soldiers will be trained in training centers for three to five months. I emphasize that recruiters will not be sent to any hotspot,” he said on his ministry’s website.
However, Michael Benayash, a lawyer representing several members of Russia’s National Guard who refused the order to go to Ukraine, said that under Russian law, recruits could be sent to fight after several months of training. (Photo source article © Dimaburgud | Dreamstime.com)
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