REUTERS
The citizens of the annexed Ukrainian territory of Crimea are for the first time to be called to serve in the Russian army, the Crimean news agency Krym.Realii reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, more than 150,000 people aged from 18 to 27 years, subject to conscription, will be sent to the Russian Armed Forces by July 15.
In particular, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, about 500 Crimean recruits will join the Russian Armed Forces.
All of them, according to officials of the Russian Defense Ministry, will serve on the peninsula.
On March 30 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that defines the rules for the Crimean population on recruitment and delays in service in the Russian Armed Forces.
According to the law, the right to be released from service in the Russian army will be granted to those citizens who have a degree recognized by the Russian legislation on education, as well as residents of Crimea who served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
If a citizen is recognized as a forced migrant, a delay of service will be given for up to three months, according to the law posted on the Kremlin Web site. The law comes into force on April 1.