Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 160,000 into military service, writes Euronews.

The decree, which was reported by news agency Interfax and also published on the government website for legal announcements, says conscription applies to all citizens aged between 18 and 30 and covers the period from April to July.

The official statement also said that “soldiers, sailors, sergeants and non-commissioned officers whose conscripted military service has expired” will be discharged from military service.

The Russian military traditionally holds conscription twice a year, once in spring and again in autumn.

The autumn conscription, which ran from October to December last year, saw 133,000 recruits sent to the army for a year of military service.

In January last year, Putin signed a law raising the maximum age for conscription from 27 to 30.

Russian media has reported that since December last year, staffing in Russia’s armed forces has increased to almost 2.4 million, of which 1.5 million are military personnel.