Topics: Russia, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Military, Ukraine, World News
Vladimir Putin has launched his country's biggest conscription since 2011 after Donald Trump said he was 'p***ed off' with the Russian president.
As many as 160,000 men aged 18-30 have been called up in Russia as the country seeks to expand the size of its military, with the draft set to take place between April-July.
The call-up came after Putin previously said Russia should increase the size of its military to almost 2.39 million, with hopes to increase the number of active servicemen to 1.5 million. The goal would mean increasing the military by 180,000 members over the next three years.
Putin's order comes in spite of efforts from the United States to orchestrate a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia, with Trump recently becoming frustrated with Putin after the Russian president criticized the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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Putin had reportedly called for a transitional government to be put in place in Ukraine - a move which could effectively push out Zelenskyy.
Trump said he was 'very angry' and 'p***ed off' over Putin's comments, saying they were 'not going in the right location'.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told NBC News.
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he continued. “There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Though Putin is moving to increase the size of the military, Vice Adm Vladimir Tsimlyansky has claimed the new conscripts will not be sent to fight amid Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.
The conscription marks the third time that Putin has scaled up the size of the military since he first launched his 'military operation' in Ukraine, with Russia calling up servicemen in the spring and autumn to serve for one year. However, the most recent call for 160,000 men to join the military is an increase of 10,000 in comparison to the same period in 2024.
Residents who are suitable for conscription will receive call-up notices by post, as well as through notifications on the state services website Gosuslugi.
In the official statement announcing the conscription, Russia also said that 'soldiers, sailors, sergeants and non-commissioned officers whose conscripted military service has expired' will be discharged from military service.
