Putin forced to draft in another 150,000 troops after army rapidly depleted by Ukraine war
Putin has been accused of putting soldiers through the 'meat grinder'
Getty
Around 150,000 troops have been drafted by Vladimir Putin as Russia faces a recruitment crisis during the war with Ukraine.
Russian citizens conscripted for military service in the spring recruitment drive, which began in April, is the highest figure for eight years.
Some of Putin's critics have said that conscripts are used in "cannon fodder" roles, despite previous promises from Russia that the recruits aged 18 to 30 will not be sent to the conflict zone in Ukraine.
Conscription commissions began on April 1 and conscripts started to be sent from gathering places in Russian regions to troop locations on April 15.
Putin has been accused of putting soldiers through the 'meat grinder'
Getty
A statement from Russia's Defence Ministry said: "The spring 2024 conscription of citizens for military service is completed.
"In compliance with Decree No. 222 issued by the president of the Russian Federation on March 31, 2024, 150,000 people were recruited and sent to the Russian Armed Forces and other military formations for military service in the spring of this year."
Ukraine telegram channel Pravda Gerashchenko said at the time: "It was possible to achieve such a quantity of fresh 'cannon fodder' thanks to an amendment to raise the conscription age. Russians aged 18 to 30 will serve."
The UK Defence Ministry said earlier this week Putin is currently facing his highest rate of losses within his army, with over 70,000 soldiers likely killed or wounded in May and June alone.
LATEST FROM THE FRONTLINE IN UKRAINE
Volodymyr Zelensky has called on China to join in the peace talks
ReutersIt comes as Russia and Ukraine exchanged 95 prisoners of war each earlier today in the latest such swap after the United Arab Emirates acted as an intermediary.
Russia's Defence Ministry, in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, said the returning Russian soldiers would be flown to Moscow for medical examinations and physical and psychological rehabilitation.
It said the freed troops had faced "mortal danger" in Ukrainian captivity.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said that the freed Ukrainian prisoners were members of the Ukrainian armed forces, the national guard and the border guard service.
A firefighter works amid debris of a supermarket destroyed by recent shelling in Donetsk
Reuters
Elsewhere, Germany said it would halve military aid for Ukraine next year, even with the possibility that Donald Trump could return to the White House and curb US support for Kyiv.
German aid to Ukraine will be cut to €4billion in 2025 from around €8bn in 2024, according to a draft of the 2025 budget.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said: "Ukraine's financing is secured for the foreseeable future thanks to European instruments and the G7 loans."
You may like
