Status: 05.04.2023 5:13 p.m
Because of the Russian war against Ukraine, Latvia is gradually reintroducing military service. From 2024 it should become mandatory. Defense Minister Murniece said it was the “response to the new security situation” in the region.
Latvia will reintroduce military service in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The parliament of the EU and NATO country passed the necessary changes to the law. According to this, military service is to be gradually reintroduced from mid-2023 – initially on a voluntary basis, then from next year on a mandatory basis.
Latvia borders Russia and its ally Belarus. In 2007, it abolished conscription. The Baltic state converted its armed forces into a professional army supported by a volunteer army.
“Since Russia’s brutal large-scale attack on Ukraine, we have been living in a new geopolitical reality,” Defense Minister Inara Murniece said. The reintroduction of military service is “Latvia’s answer to the new security situation in our region”. Because we know “from the experience of Ukraine that without a morally stable and prepared society it is not possible to confront an aggressor”.
Alternative civilian service possible
In the future, men between the ages of 18 and 27 are to be drafted. Women can voluntarily complete the eleven-month military training.
Alternatively, Latvians who refuse to carry out armed service due to religious or other personal beliefs may undertake alternative civilian service at a Ministry of Defense agency.