SF did not agree with the State Duma’s plan to extend the draft age

The heads of two committees of the Federation Council opposed the plans of the State Duma to extend the conscription age in Russia.

Earlier, the head of the State Duma defense committee, Andrey Kartapolov, said that the committee decided not to raise the lower limit of conscription to 21 years while raising the upper limit to 30 years. Thus, according to the plans of the deputies, military service will be called up from the age of 18 to 30.

Viktor Bondarev, head of the Committee of the Federation Council on Defense and Security, disagreed with this. According to him, this amendment did not reach them. “If the lower limit is not touched, then it is advisable to leave the previous and upper one so as not to violate the proportions, not to artificially extend the draft age. This is logical and fair,” he wrote in his Telegram channel.

At the same time, Bondarev noted that it is necessary to provide for the right to enter military service from the age of 18 at one’s own request. The colleague was supported by the head of the Committee of the Federation Council on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrey Klyshas.

In December 2022, the head of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, proposed raising the age of conscription from 18–27 years to 21–30 years. The President and the Government of Russia supported this initiative. After entry into force, the law will begin to be implemented in stages from 2024.