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Russia raises conscription age cap for top officers
Summary
On 18 July 2023, Russian lawmakers extended the age limit for the most senior officers, two days after a decree on foreign-owned assets.
What did Moscow's moves on 18 July 2023 say about the pressures of a prolonged war? Two measures, taken two days apart, pointed to demands on both manpower and the business sector.
On 18 July 2023, the Russian Federal Assembly amended its mobilization laws. The upper age limit for conscription was raised to 70 from 65 for the highest-ranking officers of the armed forces. The change applied to the top of the military hierarchy, not to rank-and-file conscripts.
Two days earlier, on 16 July 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin had authorised a temporary state takeover of the shares of French agribusiness Danone and of Baltika, a brewer owned by Carlsberg. The decision was part of a wider response to private companies, these two among them, that were reducing their business operations in Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Two different pressures
The measures concern different spheres. One extended how long senior officers can be called up. The other placed the Russian assets of two foreign-linked companies under temporary state control.
Many private companies had ceased operations in Russia, or donated or matched donations to Ukrainian bodies, in response to Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and 2022. Others applied various sanctions. The takeover of the Danone and Baltika shares was Moscow's answer to companies scaling back in this way.
Taken together, the two steps showed the Russian state adjusting its legal framework, for the armed forces and for corporate assets alike, while the war continued.
