Kremlin says no conscripts being sent to Ukraine

The Kremlin said on Friday that Moscow was not sending conscripts to Ukraine, a day after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ordering 134,500 new conscripts into the army as part of Russia's annual spring draft.

The issue of conscripts' involvement in Russia's military campaign with Ukraine is highly sensitive. On March 9, the Russian defence ministry acknowledged that some had been sent to Ukraine after Putin had denied this on various occasions, saying only professional soldiers and officers had been sent in.