In this May 23, 2023 photo, Russian conscripts march during a send-off event before they head to assigned military units for mandatory one-year military service in front of the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia. (PHOTO / AP)
MOSCOW/KYIV – Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday to raise the maximum military draft age from 27 to 30.
The relevant document has been published on Russia's official legal information portal.
With the new amendments, all men aged 18-30 will be subject to compulsory military service starting from Jan 1, 2024.
The Russian leader signed another law Friday to ban conscripts from leaving Russia as soon as they receive their draft notice from the enlistment office.
Talks to continue
President Putin and leaders of seven African countries involved in a peace mission on Ukraine agreed to continue their dialogue, a Russian official said on Thursday.
"Indeed, the dialogue will continue," Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Russia's TASS news agency. "There are no exact dates yet."
South African authorities released on Thursday a joint statement by Putin and the African peace mission following their meeting on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg in late July.
Ukraine has launched talks with the US on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees
The statement said that the leaders agreed to continue the dialogue, supported lifting sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports and acknowledged the progress made on humanitarian aspects of the initiative.
Ukrainian drone attacks Russian oil tanker
A Ukrainian drone attacked and damaged a Russian oil tanker in the Kerch Strait, the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center (MRCC) of Novorossiysk said on Saturday.
The MRCC said that the tanker's crew was safe, but the attack damaged the engine room. A group of rescuers and two tugboats went to the area to help the tanker.
The attack happened in the early hours of Saturday, making loud noises that alarmed the residents of Kerch, a city on the eastern tip of Crimea. The 19-km-long Crimean Bridge, which links mainland Russia with Crimea, closed temporarily because of a threat of attack but reopened later.
Attempt to attack Russian naval base
The Russian defense ministry said Friday that two Ukrainian unmanned boats attempted to attack the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, a major Black Sea port, but were destroyed by Russian ships.
"Tonight, the Ukrainian armed forces attempted to attack the Novorossiysk naval base with two unmanned sea boats. During the repulsion of the attack, the unmanned boats were visually detected and destroyed by fire from the standard weapons of the Russian ships," the ministry said.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which loads oil onto tankers in Novorossiysk, said its infrastructure was not damaged by the attack and the oil loading is going on as usual.
Ukraine, US talks on security guarantees
Ukraine on Thursday launched talks with the United States on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees, Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne reported Friday, citing the Ukrainian President's Office.
Andriy Yermak, head of the office leading the Ukrainian delegation to the talks, said that the United States became the first country to start negotiations on security commitments with Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the security guarantees will reinforce Ukraine's progress towards future membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
