Many countries in Europe already have mandatory conscription (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
Latvia has introduced conscription for men aged between 18 and 27 amid fears Russia could invade the country.
It was introduced to the country at the beginning of January and each man will be forced to complete a year of service.
Latvia hopes to have 61,000 combat ready troops split between active and reserve units.
The Baltic state joins other European countries where conscription is already mandatory including Austria, Belarus, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.
And it comes amid fears conscription could become mandatory in the UK and a ‘citizen army’ mobilised to fend off Putin.
Latvia’s foreign minister Krisjanis Karins told The Telegraph: ‘We have reintroduced the draft… to increase the size of our active and ready reserve.
‘We need to be in such a state of preparedness that Russian generals and the Russian political classes clearly see that the direction of Europe is a no-go.
‘European defences are completely up to snuff, and that it’s not possible to have any gains without tremendous loss, and to make sure, actually, that no gains would be feasible.’
European countries with mandatory conscription
Austria – 6-9 months for males aged 18-50
Belarus – 12-36 months for men aged 18-27
Cyprus – 14 months in National Guard for males aged 18-50
Denmark – 4-12 months training for men at age 18, eligible for active conscription until age 50
Estonia – 8-11 months for males aged 18-27
Finland – 6-12 months for males at age 18, reserves until age 60
Greece – 9-12 months for males aged 19-45
Latvia – 12 months for males aged 18-27
Lithuania – 9 months for males aged 19-26
Moldova – 12 months for males aged 18-27 – may be abolished soon
Norway – 19 months (12 months plus 4-5 refreshers) for males and females aged 19-35. However, more than 80% are released from service
Sweden – 7.5-15 months for males and females at age 18, eligible as reserves until age 47; however, only a portion of those who register are selected for service
Switzerland – 245 days (18 weeks training + six 19-day recalls) for males aged 18-30
Turkey – 6-12 months for males at age 20, an exemption can be purchased after 1 month of training
Ukraine – 12-24 months for ages 20-27 – may be abolished soon
Latvia’s minister for foreign affairs Krisjanis Karins announced the new measures (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Latvia has already reinforced its military and reserve forces and expanded its weapon arsenal and anyone who refuses conscription could be jailed.
People are exempt if they have health conditions, are single parents, dual citizens, or who have already served abroad.
A monthly salary of £250 will be given to those conscripted and they will be able to take a month’s leave as they are housed in army barracks for training.
The news comes after a former Nato commander warned the UK might introduce a Finnish-style conscript army where men as old as 60 are told to fight in the event of war.
Latvia is the latest country to join a list of European countries where conscription is already mandatory (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
General Sir Richard Shirreff said the UK needs to ‘think carefully’ about conscripting hundreds of thousands of Brits to fight against Russia.
So far the UK, Estonia and Sweden have warned about the prospect of large-scale war.
Sir Patrick Sanders warned it would take a ‘whole-of-nation’ and ‘national mobilisation’ but stopped short of conscription.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.