Vladimir Putin has conscripted pensioners to fight his war in Ukraine as the Russian President becomes increasingly desperate amid Kyiv’s counter-offensive.
Putin, who last month was forced to see off an attempted coup, unveiled plans to raise the maximum mobilisation age to 70.
The Russian President, who himself is 70, will even accept soldiers who have already been discharged.
Legislation passed through Moscow was rubber-stamped enabling Putin to recall those to active service.
Fighting in Ukraine continues despite Vladimir Putin's recruitment efforts
ReutersIt will ensure retired reservists can serve until they are 60 and junior officials can also be recalled until they turn 55.
The announcement comes just months after hundreds of thousands of men of fighting age fled Russia after Putin ordered a mobilisation without warning last September.
Moscow altered draft laws earlier this year to combat a staggering 250,000 “missing” conscripts whose notices had been lost in the post.
Conscription letters are now being delivered via email.
Putin’s latest efforts to reinforce Russian ranks comes after at least 47,000 troops were killed in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has only accepted 6,000 deaths during its invasion of the ex-Soviet state.
Ukrainian and Russian troops have been embroiled in skirmishes as Kyiv continues to slowly mount its counter-offensive.
However, Kyiv conceded progress was limited and no fast results could be expected.
Ukraine continues to mount a counter-offensiveReutersGeneral Oleksandr Syrskyi said: “We’d like to get very fast results but in reality it’s practically impossible.”
US general Mark Milley, who chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also threw his support behind Ukrainian efforts.
He claimed: “It is far from a failure. I think that it's way too early to make that kind of call.”
Milley added: “I think there's a lot of fighting left to go and I'll stay with what we said before: This is going to be long.
“It's going be hard. It's going to be bloody.”
