Shoigu Proposes to Raise Conscription Age

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has proposed to gradually raise the conscription age, calling for mandatory military service to include individuals aged 21 to 30, instead of the current ages of 18 to 27. Shoigu made this announcement during a meeting of the Ministry of Defense collegium.

According to Shoigu, it is also necessary to increase the number of Russian armed forces to 1.5 million, so that the average number of contract soldiers reaches 695,000.

During the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Shoigu discuss these ideas separately, adding that he agrees with the proposals.