Russia just extended who was eligible to serve in its military by at least five years, as speculation over the strength of its armed forces continues.
The Russian parliament decided to extend the maximum age of eligibility from 65 to 70 for high-ranking officers on Tuesday.
Those who have completed compulsory military service can now be drafted up to the age of 40 to 55, although the exact age depends on what role it is.
The Kremlin had already increased the upper age limit for compulsory military service from 27 to 30, to make it harder for men to avoid being called up. It was previously only for men aged between 18 and 27.
Russia still has a “mobilised reserve” of men who signed up to get periodic military training and a stipend after their compulosry or professional service ends.
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu previously implied he wanted to increase the number of professional contracted military personnel from 1.15 million to 1.5 million.
It comes amid speculation from the West that Moscow is really struggling with a depleted force right now, after putting just one tank on display in what is usually a show of military prowess for its Victory Day parade in May.
US think tank, RAND Corperation, also claimed in June that staggering casualties, failures on the frontline, and a “social crisis of veteran mental health disorders” all contribute to a major problem with military retention.
AP news agency reported that the first independent statistical analysis of Russia’s war dead found nearly 50,000 Russian men have died in the Ukraine war by early July.
Russia rarely reveals the real impact the war has had on its troops, as the invasion – meant to last a matter of days – approaches its 18 months mark.
Moscow has only publicly acknowledged the deaths of just over 6,000 soldiers.
Russia has been subtly shifting the boundaries of its military provisions since last September, when there was significant backlash to its partial mobilisation announcement of 300,000 reservists.
Immediately after partial mobilisation was announced, at least 1,300 people were detained across Russia in taking part in anti-war protests.
As the biggest conscription drive since World War Two, protesters ended up calling for Russia to “send Putin to the trenches”.
Still, the Human Rights Council of Russia even suggested at the time that immigrants from central Asian countries who had Russian citizenship for less than 10 years would have to undergo compulsory military service for 12 months.
One council member proposed that refusal to do so would result in the removal of Russian citizenship for the individual in question and their whole family.
Meanwhile, on the frontlines, Moscow has just launched a fresh set of strikes on Ukraine as “retribution” for recent attacks on the Crimean Bridge.
Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the attacks, but Russia claimed it was a act of “terrorism” from the country it invaded last year.