Vladimir Putin Hastily Passes Law Allowing Russia to Recruit Pensioners | world | News

Vladimir Putin has introduced new legislation that will allow him to recruit men over the age of 60 in an apparent bid to shore up his armed forces 18 months after he invaded Ukraine.

The Russian President signed the law, which was approved by the State Duma on July 18, after all three readings were approved on May 25.

The new rules mean that Russian men up to the age of 65 will be eligible for military service, as will foreign nationals who wish to serve.

In addition, soldiers can now be returned to the armed forces until the age of 70 – the same age as Putin himself.

The bill’s authors, Russian MPs Andrei Kartapolov and Andrei Krasov, have previously argued that the increased threshold would attract new specialists with “in-demand skills”, especially medical staff and engineers.

An explanatory note attached to the bill states that “the use of high-precision weapons, the operation of weapons and military equipment requires highly professional specialists.

Experience shows that they become such at 40-45″.

Anton Barbushin, editorial director of the independent website Riddle Russia, shared details of the new law via Twitter, commenting: Clarification requested: no, it does not mean that all men over 60 will be subject to mobilization.

But it opens up a pool of 60- to 65-year-olds with prior military experience for senior officer positions.

And people from 55 to 60 as junior officers.

Kremlin sources have previously claimed that Russia lost more than 250,000 men of military age during the first mobilization last year.

Speaking last week, Ukrainian military spokesman Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty said Russia had already filled battalions with ex-convicts in preparation for an attack on Kupyansk in northern Ukraine.

He told the Daily Mail: The enemy has assembled a very strong group.

“More than 100,000 personnel, more than 900 tanks, more than 550 artillery systems and 370 salvo missile systems.”