Russian Defense Ministry proceeds with semiannual national draft despite coronavirus pandemic

Russia’s Defense Ministry has refused to delay its spring draft amid the global pandemic of COVID-19. The draft, which applies to all young men who do not meet certain conditions such as university study, will begin as usual on April 1 and last until July 15, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.

All new spring recruits will be quarantined for two weeks and tested for the coronavirus as soon as they arrive at their bases. Shoigu said most will be sent onward to the army in May or June.

He added that the Defense Ministry’s leadership and the military’s General Staff have all undergone diagnostic testing for the virus. None of them received a positive result.

Meanwhile, 32 military hospitals have outfitted divisions for coronavirus patients