- Latvia announced on Monday that it plans to bring back its military draft within the next few years.
- The country's defense minister said the conscription would "reduce the risk" of a Russian attack.
- European nations have been gearing up for potential Russian aggression after Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Latvia's defense ministry said on Monday that the Baltic country is bringing back its military draft to ward off a Russian attack — a move prompted by Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry announced in a statement that conscription for men aged 18 to 27 will be phased in over the next five years, and voluntary military training will be available as soon as early 2023.
"[The] Latvian population must realize that in order to survive we simply must increase the share of population that has received military training and is ready to engage in combat. This should reduce the risk of Russia attacking Latvia at will," Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said in a statement.
Latvia — a member of both NATO and the European Union — axed its military conscription in 2007 and only has a few thousand active soldiers and national guardsmen, according to Euronews.
The defense ministry said it "plans to increase the share of combat-ready population of Latvia in National Armed Forces to 50,000 in five-year period. Of these, 14,000 troops would form active service units, while 16,000 would join National Guard and 20,000 would form the reserve force."
But Pabrikis said that the "security implications" of Russia's war in Ukraine "have led to numerous new challenges," and "to overcome them, we need to boost our combat capabilities and develop army reserve."
Men who serve will be required to do so for a year — including a month of leave — and will participate in three months of basic training and another three months of a specialty course.
The defense ministry said women of the same age group can also choose to serve voluntarily, and all soldiers will make up to 400 euros a month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war on Ukraine — which has killed thousands and displaced millions — has sparked seismic and far-reaching geopolitical shifts.
Last month, the EU officially accepted Ukraine as a candidate country to join the bloc, while NATO invited Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance.