The proposed changes to Russia's draft laws represent a notable deviation from the original amendments supported by President Vladimir Putin in December, which proposed raising the age limits gradually from 18-27 to 21-30 over three years - a proposal seen widely as a way to address public concern over young, untrained men being sent to the front lines in Ukraine. officials have said this year's front-line battles, particularly around the fiercely contested town of Bakhmut, have been particularly brutal for Russia, and Ukrainian commanders in the region told CBS News they were facing wave after wave of Russian mercenaries who seemed poorly equipped for the fight. However, Russian rights groups have said new conscripts have been pressured into signing contracts with the army or otherwise forced to take part in the war in Ukraine. New amendments to legislation that passed a final hearing Tuesday in the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, would raise the upper age limit for compulsory service to 30 from next year while keeping the lower limit of 18 unchanged.Ĭonscripts can't immediately be sent into battle - they officially must undergo at least several months of training before they can sign up to go to the front lines. Under current Russian laws, all men aged between 18 and 27 must serve one year of conscription service. Russian lawmakers approved legislation on Tuesday that's likely to raise the upper age limit for mandatory military service and ban draftees from leaving the country as Moscow seeks to expand its pool of military reserves amid staggering losses in President Vladimir Putin's stalled war in Ukraine. Ukraine's port cities bear unrelenting brunt of Russian missile strikes 03:08

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