Vladimir Putin has raised the maximum age restriction for mobilised troops in a move which could result in the deployment of 70-year-old Russians to the frontline.
The new Moscow order allows reservist males, particularly those with high positions such as General, to be summoned back to active duty up to the age of 70, rather than the former restriction of 65.
Lower-ranking officers, such as seniors, may now be drafted back into service until the age of 65, while junior officers may be dispatched to the frontlines as early as the age of 60.
Furthermore, ordinary personnel who have finished their mandatory service and are now reservists can be called back into military service until the age of 55, an increase from the previous age restriction of 45.
As a result of this development, many fighting-age males are said to have deserted Russia, fearing being drafted as expendable troops into the current war.
Obtaining reliable figures on military casualties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022 is difficult
Moscow is more likely to minimise its own data, rarely offering specific figures, with the official amount estimated to be about 6,000.
However, yesterday (July 19), Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed the Russian Army has seen at least a quarter of a million soldiers either dying or remaining injured since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The true scale is unknown though, especially when external estimates imply significant Russian losses, the Kremlin often accuses its adversaries of dishonest briefings.
Ukraine, on the other hand, releases a daily report on its Ministry of Defence website detailing the overall number of enemy personnel “eliminated,” as well as other combat-related losses. As of July 10, the cumulative number had risen dramatically to 234,480.
Meanwhile, during the night of Wednesday, Russia launched intense drone and missile attacks, causing significant damage to critical port infrastructure in southern Ukraine.
The attacks targeted essential grain and oil terminals, resulting in injuries to at least 12 people, according to official reports.
The bombardment had severe consequences for the export facilities in Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk, where substantial parts were left incapacitated.
The destruction amounted to 60,000 tons of grain, as stated by Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry.
These aggressive actions occurred shortly after President Vladimir Putin decided to withdraw Russia’s participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a wartime agreement that facilitated Ukraine’s food exports to countries facing hunger threats.
The attacks also came in response to a promise made by Putin to retaliate against Kyiv for an assault on Monday targeting the strategically important Kerch Bridge, which links Russia with the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula since 2014.
Putin said on Wednesday that Russia could return to the deal if the West offers Russian banks involved in servicing payments for the country’s agricultural exports an immediate access to the SWIFT payment system, adding that Moscow wants its conditions met, not “some promises and ideas”.
The Russian leader also listed other Russian demands, including a lifting of insurance and shipping restrictions that affect Russian agricultural exports and a resumption of Moscow’s export of ammonia to Odesa via a pipeline, a section of which was blown up last month.
