Nov. 16, 2025, 9:57 a.m.
The occupation authorities in Crimea have decided to raise the age limit for signing a contract with the Russian army. Thus, the Russian Federation is taking measures to fulfill the plan to recruit contract soldiers set by the Ministry of Defense.
This was reported by 'Krym.Realii' with reference to the comment of a local human rights activist.
According to the human rights activist, the most effective way to increase the number of contract soldiers was to expand the age range. At the beginning of the full-scale war, contract soldiers were recruited only up to 45 years old, then this period was raised to 60 years old, and now it has been increased to 64 years old. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation informed him that further raising the age is at the discretion of the regions, and some Russian subjects, including Crimea, have already raised the age limit for contract soldiers in the combat zone to 65 years.
The human rights activist also emphasizes the significant reduction of health requirements for candidates in the military commissariats of the annexed Crimea. Military medical commissions now focus not so much on health indicators as on physical fitness. A source in the military commissariat said that the main thing is that a soldier should be strong enough to complete a mission for ten days in the active frontline, which is already enough to conclude a contract with him. This approach is explained by the fact that the life expectancy of an assault soldier is usually short, so chronic diseases are not believed to have time to escalate to a critical state.
The Russian authorities in Crimea are actively using various methods to engage Crimeans in signing contracts, including the distribution of mobilization leaflets in mailboxes and coercion through administrative resources.
Катерина Глушко