Putin to conscript citizens with criminal records, mobilising army

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has given ascent to a law that will mobilise citizens with criminal records under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for military service. Those involved in crimes like murder, robbery, and drug trafficking, among other serious crimes, are to be brought under the law, Asian News International reported.

But those who committed sexual crimes against minors, assassinated a government official, terrorists etc., were exempted from compulsory military service.

Putin said Friday that the Kremlin had already mobilised an additional 18,000 soldiers in its war in Ukraine, and earlier this week, the Russian Ministry of Defence suspended all of its partial mobilisation activities.

Putin had ordered a partial military mobilisation in Moscow on September 21. Around 300,000 troops were planned to conscript for escalating war in Ukraine.

As the war reaches its ninth month, Russia continues to hit Ukraine with missiles. Early on Monday, the Ukraine capital witnessed multiple explosions, an attack by Kamikaze drones. Ukraine blamed Russia, saying that such actions were out of Moscow's desperation, but will never help it.

The Iranian drones were employed in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and other cities across Ukraine in recent weeks, Ukraine said and pleaded with the West to increase their support.

In a recent explosion of a truck on the Crimea road bridge, seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula caught fire. The incident killed three people and tore down two spans of the road bridge.