The measure that will allow Russia to recruit more Ukrainians from the occupied territories

The Kremlin has officially integrated the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions into the Southern Military District, a decision that will allow Moscow to expand its forced recruitment of the population there, according to the Center for Combating Disinformation, cited by Euronews.

The annexed peninsula of Crimea was already incorporated into this district.

“The Kremlin is intensifying its repressive policy of mobilization, laying the groundwork for further illegal recruitment of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories to compensate for its own military losses,” reported the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation.

Since invading and subsequently annexing Crimea, Russia has forced the Ukrainian population under occupation to obtain Russian passports. After the large-scale invasion and occupation of other territories, the Kremlin imposed the same policy: if they refuse to comply, residents risk losing access to healthcare, education, social benefits or even humanitarian aid.

In March, the Kremlin ordered all Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territories to obtain Russian passports or “leave” by September 10.

It's just that the obligation to make passports also led to forced conscription into the Russian army and thus forcing these citizens to fight against their own country.

Between the time of the invasion and last summer, Russia mobilized around 300,000 men from the local Ukrainian population under occupation, according to the Eastern Group for Human Rights and the Institute for Strategic and Security Studies (ISRS). These figures were confirmed by the intelligence services of Ukraine.

Moscow formalizes year-round mandatory military conscription

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law mandatory year-round military conscription – a significant change from the traditional two-year cycle.

Before the legislative change, young men were summoned twice a year to do a mandatory one-year military training.

Recruits cannot officially be sent abroad, but many of them are offered or required to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense, in order to be sent to Ukraine later. Even without a contract, recruits were already being sent to illegally annexed Crimea.

The bill's authors say the measure aims to reduce pressure on military recruiting offices and streamline their operations, which include conducting medical checks and assigning recruits to different military branches.

They insist that although the draft law provides for year-round compulsory conscription, it stipulates that recruits will enter military service only in the spring and summer months, as before.

The Russian military enlisted between 130,000 and 160,000 recruits during a recruitment round.

Russia is increasing its military

At the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia had an army of one million soldiers, but it gradually swelled its ranks as the fighting dragged on.

Last year, Putin ordered an increase in the number of active duty troops by 180,000, with the goal of reaching 1.5 million. He said last month that the military has more than 700,000 soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

As part of their efforts to combat evasion, authorities earlier this year launched an electronic registry of conscripts that allows online summonses to be served in some regions of Russia.

Moscow has also introduced a number of legal restrictions on those who ignore subpoenas, including bans on banking transactions, suspension of driving licenses and a ban on foreign travel.

Russian authorities reported that about 440,000 volunteers joined the army in 2024, and another 336,000 people signed military contracts this year.

Lawmakers on Tuesday approved another bill to send reservists to protect “extremely important facilities” in certain regions – a measure that sponsors said was aimed at strengthening defenses against Ukrainian drones, which have struck more than 1,000 kilometers deep into Russian territory.