The Arms Race Continues: Russia and Ukraine Increase Military Efforts

Russia has launched a marketing campaign to recruit more young men to serve in the military on a contracted basis, with the aim of deploying them in the war against Ukraine. The country's annual spring draft has also begun, with President Vladimir Putin ordering 147,000 men to be enrolled for the obligatory year of military service, an 8% increase from previous years. The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied rumors of another mobilization, but reports suggest that conscripts are being sent to areas bordering Ukraine for military service despite Putin's declarations to the contrary.