INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the conscription of 160,000 men by July 15, an increase from previous drafts as Moscow
seeks to expand its military ranks.Russia holds biannual conscription drives, with men aged 18-30 eligible for mandatory service
The Kremlin and Defense Ministry insist conscripts are not sent into combat and that the draft is unrelated to the war in Ukraine.However,
Ukraine has repeatedly claimed to have captured Russian conscripts, and Putin previously admitted that some were mistakenly deployed early
social media.Beyond regular conscription, Russia has recruited hundreds of thousands of contract soldiers for its war in Ukraine, offering
high salaries and large sign-up bonuses.Putin raised the upper conscription age from 27 to 30 last year
