Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered 160,000 troops to be mobilized by July 15, exceeding the number of previous recruitment campaigns.

Russians can be called up for compulsory military service twice a year. The Kremlin and Defense Ministry say they are not being sent into combat and that the decision has nothing to do with the conflict in Ukraine.

Throughout the conflict, however, Kiev has claimed to have taken Russian conscripts prisoner, and Putin himself has conceded that some were sent to fight "by mistake."

Putin outlined plans for this spring's conscription in a new decree.

The planned size of the campaign has been increased to 160,000, from 150,000 in 2024 and 134,500 in 2022, when Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine, state media reported.

Last year, Putin orderedRussia to increase the size of its army to 1.5 million active troops - an increase of about 180,000 troops in three years.

"The upcoming campaign is in no way related to the special military operation in Ukraine," the Defense Ministry announced on social media.

In addition to conscription, Russia has recruited hundreds of thousands of men for its offensive in Ukraine as professional soldiers, offering them high salaries and huge bonuses.

Russia traditionally holds waves of conscription in the spring and autumn, with men aged 18-30 eligible to be drafted.

According to Putin's decree, the spring mobilization will last from April 1 to July 15.

In 2022 Russia has called up more than 300,000 "reservists" for its offensive in Ukraine under what it calls "partial mobilization."

This caused hundreds of thousands of men to flee the country to avoid being sent to the front. | BGNES