The News
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered 160,000 men aged 18-30 to be conscripted into military service, state-owned news agency Tass reported, as the country attempts to make up for losses in Ukraine.
The call-up — the biggest since 2011 — comes after Putin last year ordered the Russian military to expand by 180,000 to almost 2.39 million personnel and raised the maximum conscription age from 27 to 30.
A Kremlin official said the new conscripts would not be sent to Ukraine. Still, “Moscow has had to respond to extensive losses in Ukraine,” where more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have died in four years of fighting, the BBC wrote.
US President Donald Trump has said he is “very angry” with Putin for stalling progress on a Ukraine peace deal. Moscow accepted a partial ceasefire halting attacks on energy infrastructure last month.