British intelligence says that the Russian Guard is strengthening its resources and personnel amid upheavals in Russia's internal security caused by the war against Ukraine.
Russia increases the National Guard's combat capability
The agency reminded that since October 2023, the "Wagner Group" units have been part of the Russian Guard. On January 3, 2024, the "Vostok" battalion from the so-called "DNR" will be included.
As noted in intelligence, the Russian Federation is also trying to disband the "Cascade" group, which specializes in the use of drones, to subordinate its units to Russia's National Guard.
In addition, as British intelligence reminds, in July 2023, the State Duma of the Russian Federation allowed Russia's National Guard to use heavier weapons.
New capabilities, along with its (National Guard — Ed.) augmentation with experienced veterans from other groups, will likely represent a significant increase in combat effectiveness., the review says.
What is known about mobilization in the Russian Federation
On August 4, Putin signed a decree raising the conscription age from 18 to 30 from January 1, 2024. The upper limit of the conscription age will move from the current 27 to 30 years. The lower limit will remain at the previous level of 18 years.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu initially proposed moving the lower bar by setting the conscription age at 21-30 years. Putin supported this idea. In this form, the State Duma passed the draft law in the first reading, but in July, the head of the State Duma defence committee, Andrei Kartapolov, said it was decided to increase only the upper limit of the conscription age. He claimed that "many boys want to go and serve at 18."
On September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that over the past six months, 270,000 people voluntarily signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
However, according to the estimates of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the number of people dissatisfied with the war in Ukraine is growing in Russia.
