Vladimir Putin is changing military recruitment rules to conscript soldiers struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction into the conflict with Ukraine.
The mandate includes the recruitment of people suffering from serious illnesses such as syphilis, bronchial asthma, and various cardiac and endocrine disorders.
Amid reports that Russia has lost approximately 843,000 personnel since 2022, the revised criteria will also prohibit the military from discharging personnel suffering from acute PTSD and hypertension.
Furthermore, those with “severe neurotic problems associated with stress…and mood disorders” are no longer allowed to leave Russian forces. Individuals suffering from psychosis—a serious mental disorder characterized by a disconnection from reality—are being pushed into active combat roles.
Critics of Putin have not hesitated to label his approach as a callous ‘cannon fodder’ tactic, sending waves of troops to their deaths while slowly encroaching on Ukrainian territory. Recent images and recordings show the extent of the brutality: injured soldiers, some hobbling on crutches, are being returned to the front lines.
There is also footage of soldiers being transported to battle zones while their hands are bound in cuffs. The upcoming revisions to Russian military law are expected to cast a wider net over the country’s potential soldiers.
This includes conscripts and contract personnel, who may now be mobilized or compelled to serve despite medical conditions such as war-induced PTSD, according to reports from the Express US.
“Syphilis is no longer an obstacle to service,” declared lawyer Arseniy Levinson during a discussion on the Ostrogozhno Novosti channel. “Alcoholism [and] drug addiction are not grounds for dismissal.” Levinson expressed concern: “It’s difficult to explain why the approach is changing so dramatically. This is based on wartime experience.”
He added grimly, “I believe this is a cynical approach. “If a soldier is considered cannon fodder, he does not require much health.” He contended that this policy undermines citizens’ right to life and health: “This violates citizens’ right to life and health protection. The less a person is prepared for service and the sicker he is, the lower his chances of survival during military operations.”
Levine emphasized the importance of the changes: “It’s not for nothing that the rules were tightened. Now the bar has been lowered.” The channel emphasized significant changes for conscripts, stating, “In the case of conscripts, the document recognises as fit a number of diseases that previously did not allow them to be taken into the army.”
It recited the list, which included “Hypertension stage 1, dermatological diseases if spread to less than 10% of the body.” Even patients with bronchial asthma may be eligible for service if they have not had a relapse in the previous five years. The same leniency is applied to a variety of endocrinological and cardiac conditions in which the health criteria are relaxed.
The enlistment of people with sexually transmitted syphilis is expected to affect both drafted and regular service members. There are also indications that North Korea has withdrawn troops from specific regions.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service attributed the lack of activity since mid-January to significant casualties, saying, “There have been no signs showing North Korean troops deployed to the Russian Kursk region engaging in battle.” For the time being, these troops have withdrawn from the frontline.
