Russia drafts 134,500 conscripts but claims they won't fight in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the conscription of 134,500 new troops into the army as part of Russia’s annual spring draft, a move which the Kremlin says has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine.

Although Russia announced that it would “drastically reduce” its military operations in Ukraine on Tuesday, Russian bombs hit civilian targets on the outskirts of Kyiv and a besieged city in northern Ukraine on Wednesday.

While Western officials have warned that Russia is simply regrouping and expect hostilities to continue, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said that none of the new conscripts would be sent to any “hot spots,” Reuters reported.

Since Putin first announced his “special military operation” on Feb. 24, Russia has maintained that only professional soldiers have been sent to the front lines. On March 9, however, the defense ministry acknowledged that some conscripts have indeed had been sent in and said that the president had ordered military prosecutors to investigate and punish the officials responsible for disobeying his instructions to exclude conscripts.

Putin’s decree essentially establishes a spring draft – which will run from April 1 to July 15 – and will call up Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27. On Thursday, Shoigu stated that those called up would be mobilized by late May.

"Most military personnel will undergo professional training in training centers for three to five months. Let me emphasize that recruits will not be sent to any hot spots," he said in remarks published on his ministry's website.

Critics have warned that troops are expected to be sent to the front, however, and Mikhail Benyash, a lawyer representing several members of Russia's National Guard who refused an order to go to Ukraine, has said that under Russian law, conscripts could be sent to fight after completing training.