Military conscription in Russia becomes thing of the past – Putin

As the modern military faces more complicated challenges and obtains advanced technologies, it requires a transition to a professional army, said President Vladimir Putin.

“Compulsory military service slowly becomes a thing of the past,” he said, adding that “it takes time and appropriate financing” to make it happen.

“But this trend exists and we will move in this direction,” Putin stressed.

However, many countries don’t abolish compulsory military service completely because militaries have a lot of unskilled work to do, he added.

In Russia a 12-month draft is mandatory for all male citizens aged 18–27, with a number of exceptions. The term was reduced from two years in 2007-2008, though one year service is considered by many experts too short to obtain high military skills.

Earlier this week, Putin announced that a new super-heavy SS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) has entered the final test stage and will soon enter service.

The Sarmat is one of the top five weapons announced last March as Russia’s response to the US’ development of a global anti-ballistic missile system.

Other weapons including the laser weapon Peresvet and a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) Kinzhal (Dagger), have been already deployed.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!