 Russia recruits another 500,000 people into the army. The Kremlin has warned that increasing the supply of U.S. arms to Ukraine would aggravate the devastating 10-month war ignited by Russia's invasion, as Russia's defense minister has called for expanding Moscow's military by at least 500,000 troops. Speaking during a meeting with his top military brass, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would use lessons learned in the conflict to develop our armed forces and strengthen the capability of our troops. He said special emphasis would go to developing nuclear forces, which he described as the main guarantee of Russian sovereignty. President Putin also said the Russian military's new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile would enter service shortly. Defense minister Sergei Shoigo said that the beefed-up Russian military will include 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers, 520,000 of whom would be recruited by the end of 2023. The Russian military had about 400,000 contract soldiers as part of its one million-member military before the fighting in Ukraine began. All Russian men, ages 18 to 27, are obliged to serve in the military for one year, but many use college deferment and health exemptions to avoid the draft. Minister Shoigo said that the draft age range would be changed from 21 to 30 years old, and the recruits would be offered a choice of serving for one year as draftees or signing a contract with the military as volunteers. The Kremlin's plans marked a return to the Soviet-era military structure, which Russia abandoned during recent reforms that saw the creation of smaller units. Some Russian military experts have argued the more compact units intended for use in local conflicts were undermanned and under-equipped for a massive conflict like the action in Ukraine.